Misunderstandings
by Quiet Indifference
Summary: On the last day of school, Sasuke catches Hinata leaving a love note for his best friend Naruto. What happens next is a lot of hurt and misunderstandings. T for language. I plan for this to be a long fiction for those who like slow character development. Alternate Universe. Slow chapter updates at the moment, my apologies to everyone.
1. Chapter 1

Misunderstandings

Chapter One

It all started off very slowly and gradually. Sasuke barely noticed how it crept up on him, but he did notice _her_. Unconsciously at first and without much care, but then it became that he would suddenly notice her at odd times. In the hallways when she passed by him or whenever he happened to glance up and she happened to pass by his classroom.

Sometimes he would be walking alone in the hallway and then suddenly he would notice her walking right in front of him. And each time he saw her, it would always come as a shock, because he never saw her appear or approach, she was just simply _there. _After a while, it came be to an annoyance for Sasuke whenever he saw her, simply because he couldn't stop being conscious of her presence whenever he noticed her.

She would suddenly be there and Sasuke would suddenly be on edge, noticing her movements and the direction she was heading. He honestly didn't care about her, didn't even know her. She had attended the same elementary and middle school as Sasuke and was even in the same grade as him! But despite all those years at the same schools, he had barely ever spoken a word to her. All he knew was her name, Hyuga Hinata.

It made Sasuke feel extremely weird whenever he saw her. Already in his third year of high school, he had never taken to noticing her presence before. So why now? Why couldn't he go back to ignoring her?

For a while Sasuke obsessed over those questions and as he did, he became even more in tuned to her presence. Frustrated and beyond irritated, he decided that he must be becoming aware of the girl only because he was still obsessing over his questions. So he immediately made himself forget about his questions and took to walking the long way to his classes to avoid her. And it worked! At least . . . for a while.

For about an entire month Sasuke had successfully erased the girl from his thoughts, the only time he thought vaguely of her was when reminding himself to take the long way to class. Sasuke wasn't happy that he'd forgotten the girl, nor was he relieved or satisfied. He wasn't anything. He had completely forgotten about her.

Walking home after school one day, Sasuke was deep in thought, hardly aware of the world around him. A car behind him honked loudly several times, snapping Sasuke instantly from his thoughts. As the car whizzed by several teenagers stuck their heads out the window, yelling and screaming excitedly. Sasuke shook his head, thinking nothing but that all the teenagers in that car were idiots.

Resuming his walk, Sasuke looked forward; his house was just a block away from him now.

Ahead of Sasuke, a girl with dark hair stood staring after the car that had just drove madly by. She turned her head slightly, allowing Sasuke to get a good glimpse of her face.

_No. _Sasuke's feet faltered and stopped for a moment in shock. It was Hyuga Hinata.

Hinata had resumed walking, as did Sasuke, but he made sure he walked more slowly so that the distance between them grew.

Staring at the girl's back crossly, Sasuke frowned, very much frustrated. He managed going a whole month ignoring the girl and there she was, walking directly in front of him. Acting as if she walked this way home every day.

Twisting his mouth in bemusement, Sasuke wondered where she was headed. He had never before seen her on his walks home. Perhaps visiting a friend? Sasuke shook his head. No, she would be accompanied with someone if she was. Then a relative maybe? Sasuke nodded, positive that that must be the case. Yet, despite telling himself that, Sasuke doubted that was the actual truth.

Suddenly realizing that he was questioning and obsessing again Sasuke shook the thoughts and persistent questions from his head. He was not going to ruin a month of his efforts of forgetting the girl, he decided. She was visiting a relative and that was that. Everything would return to normal tomorrow.

Mind set, Sasuke picked up his speed a little and continued looking on ahead, resuming his neutral and uncaring attitude.

When Hinata stopped at a house, Sasuke almost stopped as well, but continued to walk. He didn't care and as he passed by the house, the front door slamming shut, he nodded assuredly to himself.

Just a relatives' house, right?

On that fateful day of spotting the Hyuga on his way home, Sasuke decided he had been cursed. Despite his insistent assurances and assertions, it ended up that the Hyuga wasn't visiting a relative after all, but going home.

This meant every morning when walking to school, Sasuke saw the Hyuga and then every afternoon when walking home, he saw the Hyuga once more. That wasn't all though. He saw her in the hallways, in the lunchroom, in-between classes. And it was worse than last time. He knew the Hyuga's exact routes between her classes, where she sat at lunch, and whom she usually hung around. He was so aware of her presence that Sasuke was on the verge of madness. He was so fed up that he even came to blame the girl for his abnormality and began to refer to her as "The Hyuga" in his mind.

At first he retaliated to her consistent presence by going out of his way to avoid her. He drove his car to and from school and took the exhaustingly long ways to class.

He only kept that up for about two weeks, before acknowledging to himself that he was acting ridiculously and shamefully. He wasn't scared of the girl for goodness sake, besides, he was wasting gas money by driving to school every day and he was tired of taking the long ways to class. And he was tired of running away; his Uchiha pride told him he was better than that.

So Sasuke got a hold of himself and sucked it up. He walked to school every morning with the Hyuga always twenty feet ahead and walked the regular ways to class, ignoring the sight of the Hyuga whenever she brushed by and he walked home from school behind the Hyuga once again every afternoon. It became Hell for him, but he sucked it up and did his best to ignore the girl. Though she never seemed to go away, like an annoying shadow or a needy girlfriend. Sasuke got over it though and soon she was a consistent presence that he learned to accept, but he never stopped thinking of her as annoying.

As the school year progressed, Sasuke looked forward to the oncoming summer, which would soon free him of school and of the Hyuga's presence. Then over the summer, Sasuke planned to lose all memory of the Hyuga and enjoy his summer stress free and peaceful.

Luckily for Sasuke, he never actually had to interact with the Hyuga, because he didn't have any classes with her or share any friends in common with her. Which was a relief, because Sasuke already saw enough of her that he didn't need to see anymore than he had to.

Two months before school was let out for summer vacation though, the Hyuga began to befriend Sasuke's best friend, Uzumaki Naruto. Which, to say the least, immediately irked Sasuke as annoying and bizarre.

It started off with an art project and Naruto's inability to grasp the task of the project. Hence, this lead to Hinata's offer of help, since she shared that class with Naruto. She explained the project to him, gave him pointers, and by what Naruto told Sasuke, she went over to Naruto's house once to help with the project.

Sasuke had scowled sourly when Naruto told him all this, because it meant the Hyuga was growing closer to his life and those around him. Not what he wanted at all.

At first he antagonized the thoughts of the Hyuga's and Naruto's growing friendship. His worries were soon settled though when the Hyuga approached their table one day during lunch and awkwardly tried to say something to Naruto. In the end it only came out as an incoherent stutter and with her visibly blushing and walking away.

"Who was that?" asked a girl sitting at their table.

"Oh," said Naruto. He turned to the girl, smiling apologetically for the Hyuga.

"That was Hyuga Hinata. She's in my art class. She's nice, but really weird. . . ." mumbled Naruto.

Sasuke had silently agreed with Naruto. After witnessing such an episode from the Hyuga, Sasuke's annoyance was heightened. _That stutter! _He thought to himself.

But besides the stutter, Sasuke's mood was improved tenfold. Naruto apparently wasn't becoming that close with Hinata, which would mean for now she would remain as the distant, but persistent shadow as she was.

At the end of the final school day, Sasuke actually allowed himself to sigh in relief. School was over, the summer was just beginning. Plus Sasuke was going over to his best friend's house for a party right now. As another positive point, Sasuke wouldn't have to follow behind the Hyuga today (or never again hopefully) since his best friend, Naruto, lived on the other side of town.

Walking with long strides, Sasuke hurried to reach his best friend's house. He promised Naruto that he would hurry ahead to the house and set some things up for the party while Naruto got friends together. About a block away from the school, Sasuke noticed a familiar dark hair and body. He stopped in his tracks for a moment to see if his mind was playing tricks on him.

It wasn't. The Hyuga girl, the one whom he had hoped not to see, was walking steadily ahead of him. Sasuke thought for a second and forced himself to believe that the incident was a coincidence. The Hyuga girl probably wanted to visit a friend on the last day of school as well. Pretty much everyone was planning on going to a party or sleep over today, so why not her as well? After a while though, Sasuke noticed that the Hyuga was still walking in front of him and heading in the exact same direction as him.

How big can a coincidence get?

Finally the Hyuga stopped at a house and walked up to the front door. Sasuke would have breathed a sigh of relief if she had walked up to anyone else's house, but she hadn't. Of all the houses she could have walked right up to, she walked right up to Naruto's!

Sasuke's pace slowed down dramatically as he watched the Hyuga. He knew she had become acquaintances with Naruto, but Sasuke knew who had been invited to Naruto's party and she certainly wasn't one of them.

He watched her warily as she placed something down on the doormat and stepped back to leave.

Sasuke stopped at the edge of the front steps that led up to the front door and stared at the Hyuga. She turned around and stared back at him as well. In her shock she moved to grab what she just placed down, but apparently changed her mind and left it. She stared at Sasuke for a moment longer then rushed past him and ran away.

Confused, Sasuke watched her go and then examined what she left behind. On the doormat was an envelope with Naruto's name printed nicely on front. Curious and with no respect for personal privacy Sasuke opened the envelope without hesitation. He only read the first line when his eyes bulged and his mouth gaped open.

Right there, in his hands was a love letter to his best friend Naruto!

Unable to get pass the first line, Sasuke glanced around himself to see if anyone was watching and stuffed the letter in his pocket.

* * *

><p>At Naruto's party Sasuke hated how he was observing the party rather than joining in. He could still feel the love letter in his pocket though and it was driving him insane. Glancing at Naruto, he wondered if his best friend even had a clue about the Hyuga's potential interest.<p>

On the other side of the room Naruto was standing with Sakura and Ino. He was trying to say something when Sakura gestured toward the table with all the snacks and beverages for the party. She smiled at him prettily, which was unnecessary, because Naruto was already going over to get Sakura and Ino some punch.

He returned quickly with two drinks and as he extended his arm to offer the drinks, Naruto bumped ungracefully against a chair near him. Naruto didn't fall, but the drinks in his hands sloshed over their rims, splashing Naruto and more importantly, Sakura.

"Naruto!" cried Sakura hysterically. She was looking helplessly at the red punch stains now on her dress.

"Sorry Sakura-chan!" Naruto immediately placed down the two cups and grabbed a napkin. He reached out to rub the stains, but Sakura snatched the napkin jerkily and rubbed at the stain herself. Of course, not after giving Naruto a good beating on the head.

A smirk curled on Sasuke's face as Naruto continued to beg for forgiveness from Sakura, who was too angry to hear Ino offering her a spare dress she had. Walking over Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the ear.

"Ow, ow, Sasuke! What the heck?"

"Come on, dope." Trying to contain his amusement, Sasuke scowled at all the onlookers as he dragged Naruto away. Now standing away from the commotion, Sasuke let go of Naruto and crossed his arms.

"Ah," laughed Naruto nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Thanks for getting me out of that." Glancing up, he caught Sakura's gaze from across the room, which to say was a death sentence directed at him. Naruto ducked his head down again, blushing in embarrassment.

"Well, this is fun, isn't it?" said Naruto. He grinned, trying to keep a happy atmosphere. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and looked over all the people at the party.

His eyes found Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, and one girl gathered together deep in conversation. Curious and puzzled who the stranger could be, Sasuke moved a little closer and then did a sudden double take. It was the Hyuga girl again!

"Sasuke?" asked Naruto leaning over his shoulder. He looked at Sasuke's startled face and then the direction of his gaze. "Oi! Hinata!" called Naruto. He happily waved to the Hyuga.

Closing his mouth, Sasuke's thoughts raced, his mind suddenly too aware of the unknown note addressed to Naruto in his pocket. Why did the idiot have to invite her? Sasuke really wanted to kill his best friend right now.

Going after Naruto, he stood by his side as he listened to Naruto babble on about something to the Hyuga. He studied her under a critical eye as she listened to the fast talking Naruto. She continually blushed whenever Naruto looked her in the eye or smiled at her.

Sasuke waited patiently for a chance to pull his friend away, but Naruto's voice seemed to stretch on without breath. Luckily, the Hyuga had yet to say anything herself.

"Thanks to you Hinata, I was able to pass my final exam. Thank you so much for studying with me!" said Naruto as he cheerfully announced his exam grade.

"I made twenty points higher than you," interrupted Kiba, smirking at Naruto.

"Yeah right," declared Naruto, "I bet you made twenty points _lower_!"

Suddenly involved in a heated argument with Kiba, Naruto forgot about the Hyuga and focused himself on humiliating Kiba. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, thanking his luck that Naruto had a short attention span.

"E-excuse me."

Sasuke stared at the Hyuga and Naruto turned his head toward her. His arm was wrapped Kiba's neck playfully and showed no signs of letting go.

"Yeah, Hinata?" asked Naruto. He stopped fighting with Kiba for a moment, but it was obvious he wasn't really listening.

"Did-did you happen t-to read-" the girl's voice was lost, when an angry Sakura suddenly appeared for more revenge.

"Idiot," shouted Sakura as she gave Naruto one last cobble on the head. She was wearing a different dress now, but she still had punch on the ribbon in her hair. Sasuke wondered momentarily how it got into her hair.

Only until she had practically cobbled Naruto did Sakura feel satisfied that Naruto had learned his lesson. She walked away along with Kiba who was now trying to start an argument with Shikamaru and Shino as they all wondered back to other side of the room.

Now with everyone else gone, Sasuke, Naruto, and the Hyuga stood still for a moment in silence.

Rubbing his head tenderly, Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that Hinata."

Sasuke saw the girl's expression brighten and her eyes light up. Oh gosh, she really was in love with the idiot.

"D-do you h-have an an-answer?" she asked quietly.

As Hinata spoke, Naruto's name was called across from the room. Kiba was waving his arms excitedly, as if he had something absolutely wonderful to say.

Naruto looked away from Hinata, his gaze suddenly captured by Kiba's waving arms. Hinata's words slide pass him without notice.

"Sorry Hinata, can we talk later?" asked Naruto, his eyes now locked on a large package that Shino was holding with a little difficulty. Naruto seemed eager to break away and join his two friends.

"Oh, s-sure" said the Hyuga, her eyes lowering to the ground. "C-could we meet at J-Java Coffee Shop? T-tomorrow may-maybe? Three o'clock?"

Naruto nodded his head enthusiastically, but not because of what Hinata said. Already beginning to walking away he waved Hinata cheerfully off.

"See you, Hinata!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes; he knew Naruto hadn't heard a word she just said. Looking down at the girl, he caught her looking after Naruto. Sensing his gaze, she looked up at Sasuke with wide, white eyes. Sasuke rolled his eyes again and walked away. She was an idiot for loving the idiot.

**Arthur's Note:** Wow, I hate how this story begins. I have edited and re-edited so many times now and I've finally decided to just go ahead and post. This is not my first Sasuke/Hinata fanfiction, but it is the first one I intend to finish! I already have the second chapter written, but I won't post it until people review on this chapter. Should I rewrite it or continue? My gosh, I'm so nervous, this is going to be my first full length fanfiction and I'm so nervous! Please review and thank you! -Ocean


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thank you all for the lovely comments and reviews! Without you guys I would have stopped and immediately discontinued this story. Thank you for your awesome feedback, I hope that this chapter does not disappoint you.

Chapter Two

The next day with nothing better to do and a little curious, Sasuke sat outside the Java Coffee Shop around three o'clock and waited for the Hyuga. He knew Naruto hadn't heard the Hyuga ask him to meet him here and Sasuke found himself curious how long the Hyuga would wait for Naruto before realizing he wasn't coming.

For fifteen minutes Sasuke stood outside the shop waiting, but after not seeing her anywhere shrugged in annoyance and decided to go inside and grab a coffee. Perhaps she had noticed that Naruto hadn't been paying that much attention to her and decided not to come?

Inside the shop he spotted the Hyuga sitting at a window seat, watching the passing crowd. Sasuke blinked in confusion. How long had she been sitting there now? Perturbed and a bit irritated, Sasuke ordered a cup of coffee. He stood outside for fifteen minutes and the whole time she had been in here? Grabbing his coffee suddenly he hissed a little when some of it spilled over the rim and burned his hand.

Jess, it didn't matter if he wasted fifteen minutes outside, he was still wasting time just aimlessly standing here. For a while he stood scanning the shop and after a moment of thought, he sat down heavily across from the Hyuga. A part of Sasuke wanted to tease the Hyuga, because he knew something no one else knew. He knew that she was in love with Naruto. Sasuke knew he wasn't actually going to mention the love letter though and the fact that he had found it and not given it to Naruto. A darker, more sinister part of Sasuke still wanted to tease the girl. What better way than to sit unexpectedly in front of the strange girl?

From the corner of his gaze he saw her start in surprise and stare at him with her eyes blinking in confusion. Sasuke ignored her wide eyes though and stared nonchalantly out the coffee shop window.

They were both silent and after a moment, when neither acknowledged nor greeted the other, time fell away and the silence settled around them. Five minutes passed and it became obvious that it was too late to greet each other or start a conversation, so they sat in discomfort. Sasuke didn't want to start a conversation though, he wanted to make the girl uncomfortable.

After staring at Sasuke and allowing realization pass over her on who Sasuke was, the Hyuga finally looked away nervously. Her lookout for Naruto had been interrupted and she wasn't sure what to do anymore. Her eyes and hands began to flicker and move, their movements sudden and jerky.

Occasionally she looked outside the window as if remembering why she was here, but mostly her eyes looked everywhere. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, and sometimes the curious and nervous eyes would glance at Sasuke briefly for answers. Then she would catch herself and suddenly become fearful and jittery and look away.

Her hands were worse though. They clutched and latched onto her skirt, her shirt, her hair, wiped the table clean of its crumbs, arranged the condiments in random order at the edge, plucked apart napkins and then they would became tangled up in each other as she poked and probed her hands together. It looked like they were trying to comfort one another and then wrestle and then they'd be performing unnecessary duties and then be back together as a tangled mass.

Sasuke began to wonder why he was even here. He took a sip of coffee to inconspicuously stare at the Hyuga. Her obvious discomfort was amusing and Sasuke suddenly realized that he had an opportunity to get revenge for having to watch the Hyuga's backside all this year and revenge for all those times he felt awkward and uncomfortable himself. It didn't make much sense, but after a year of watching the Hyuga's backside, Sasuke had come to develop a feeling of hostility toward her. What better way to vent it all out now?

Lowering down his coffee, Sasuke openly stared at the Hyuga and watched as she tensed up, sensing his gaze. Her eyes blankly locked onto an unknown object and her hands came to halting rest on her lap. All movement ceased, as if keeping still would make her less noticeable or make Sasuke lose sight of her like a T-rex. Even her chest barely moved and her lips stayed parted in a breathless sigh.

"He's not coming." Sasuke couldn't stop himself from saying it. The words just slipped out in a slick cruel manner and despite the cold in his voice, he was highly amused.

The Hyuga, caught off guard and probably in need to move, whipped her head around and stared open mouthed at Sasuke. The words probably didn't even click for twenty seconds before she blinked her eyes slowly.

"W-Why?" she whispered quietly.

This question Sasuke had no reasonable excuse for, so he shrugged nonchalantly and didn't answer. The Hyuga looked around herself, as if suddenly lost in her surroundings and her eyes stared at the front door of the shop. Her want to escape was evident, yet she lingered as if she felt required to stay, as if she felt it would be rude to leave Sasuke without comment. Leaning forward, Sasuke rested his chin on the palm of his hand, his eyes watching her cynically. She seemed to visibly shrink under his gaze without even moving, but she stayed put, frightened, yet even more frightened by the thought of moving and displeasing Sasuke.

They stared at each other without movement. One too afraid to move, the other waiting for some visible reaction to amuse him.

In the end they both moved and it's unclear who actually moved first, whether it was Sasuke who stood up with a clatter as his leg bumped the table or whether it was her who quietly looked away unable to continue eye contact. They both noticed each other's movement though and one breathed a sigh of relief while the other allowed a small smirk of mild amusement. Without another word or gesture, Sasuke left the Hyuga and the shop to go on home. He felt no shame in his obvious harassment of the girl.

**AN: **I know that was a pretty short chapter, but the next one is much longer, so don't worry! I want to clear up a fact about Sasuke and Hinata's relationship real quick though. Some reviewers made it sound like that they believed Sasuke is already in love and jealous over the love note. This is not so. I think that should be obvious after Sasuke's clear harrassment. Tsk, tsk Sasuke. While Sasuke and Hinata are not in love now this story is about their journey to falling in love. ;D

Please review, thank you! -Ocean


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Thank you all for the lovely reviews. Here's chapter three. I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 3

A week passed before the Hyuga's love letter came to Sasuke's attention again. He found it under a pile of discarded papers and when he saw it he remembered that he had yet to read the entire letter.

Curiosity is a wicked thing, so when Sasuke picked up the love letter, he had no idea what he was getting himself in.

"Dear Naruto, I am in love with you. I have admired you longer than I can remember and I have been in love with you for three years. At first, I had no plans on telling you about my feelings, but after two weeks of spending time with you, I knew I could no longer hold in my feelings anymore. I love you! I need to know if you can ever return my feelings, so please try to answer my question as soon as possible. I can't stop loving you until I know for sure.

Sincerely, Hinata"

The love letter in Sasuke's hands was immediately dropped when he finished reading it. He began to pace around his room in agitated thought. The Hyuga was love in with Naruto, he knew that much. That and the fact that Naruto was in love with Sakura and not the Hyuga. Sasuke suddenly felt very cornered and agitated. He realized now that he should have never stuck the letter in his pocket, he should have just allowed the letter to be found instead of getting himself involved so carelessly.

How does one act in a situation such as this? Sasuke picked up the love letter he dropped and tossed it onto his dresser. No way did he want to get tangled up in a love triangle. But, Sasuke glanced at the open letter; it seemed that he already gotten himself tangled up. Perhaps he should just go ahead and give the letter to Naruto and let that be the end of his part. Sasuke picked up the love letter and stuffed it in his pocket.

So much trouble for a little piece of paper.

* * *

><p>On the way to Naruto's house it began to drizzle and thunder. Sasuke frowned at the sky, its gloomy presence not helping his mood at all.<p>

When Sasuke pulled up to Naruto's house he noticed their car was missing and both the front and screen door were shut. Naruto's family always left their front door open in the summer, except when no one was home. Sasuke sighed in disappointment; he honestly didn't want to hold onto the love letter any longer than he had to. He wanted to leave the letter in the mailbox, but doing so would mean having to walk through the drizzle that was now a downpour. Tomorrow would have to do then.

Turning the car around, Sasuke decided to take a shortcut home, by going past the town library. He usually avoided going that way, because even though it was a shorter distance, it always took longer. Why? Because it seemed that the library was a safe haven for everybody.

Skateboarders, bicyclist, and pedestrians were always crossing the road to and from the library to the parking lot. This always made driving through there an annoyance. High school students just seemed to love the library, which made no sense to Sasuke. Most of the kids he knew didn't like to read, yet the library was their center of activity.

Across from the library was a large parking lot, which was never really full. The skateboarders seemed to dominate that area, while the bicyclist stayed on the road, riding up and down the street doing ridiculously tricks. Then there was the small park area right next to the library. It wasn't really a park, since it only took up the space between the library and the bank. It had clusters of trees and benches and picnic tables that on weekdays were dominated by high school students.

The place around the library was always busy, but probably not today, considering how hard it was raining. As Sasuke drove down the deserted street, he looked around curiously. The place seemed absolutely depressing in its current condition. Everything looked gray, the road, the library, even the trees; their leaves limply hanging from their branches. There was no movement either, except that of a stranger who stood underneath a tree. She had on a jacket that she huddled against herself and she continually leaned her head outward, her neck craning to watch for oncoming traffic.

Sasuke checked his rear view mirror for any other cars. No one else was on the street except him. Sasuke sighed in annoyance. If Naruto had been in the car with him, Sasuke would have kept on driving, knowing that Naruto would have made him stop. But Naruto wasn't with him now, so that meant Sasuke had to sacrifice some of his pride to help a stranger. Not that helping a stranger was so terrible, it just made Sasuke feel awkward. He stopped in front of the stranger though, because believe it or not, Sasuke had a little bit of a conscience.

The girl under the tree peered at Sasuke and his car. The hood covering her face fell away and revealed that it was the Hyuga.

Mentally, Sasuke groaned to himself. He was becoming a stalker, or appearing to be becoming one. No, no, no, no, no!

Rolling down the passenger window, Sasuke tried to remain calm. He hoped the Hyuga thought it only as a coincidence, because it was nothing but that. A coincidence. The Hyuga girl leaned down staring at Sasuke with obvious shock. Sasuke stared back and she continued to stare blankly at him.

"Do you need a lift?" Sasuke's voice was sharp, but each second that passed meant more rain; which was already beginning to flood his car.

The girl glanced behind them, hesitating in accepting Sasuke's offer. If she honestly didn't want to ride with him, that was fine with Sasuke. She could stand out in the rain for all he cared; he had at least made an offer. Sasuke sent an obvious glare of impatience and the Hyuga finally climbed into the half drenched car. She told Sasuke her address, which wasn't necessary, he knew where she lived. But Sasuke felt a little reluctant in admitting this for obvious reasons.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to arrive at the Hyuga's house. He blessed himself with his luck in not having to suffer a drive with a long awkward silence. His luck ended though when he pulled up in front of the Hyuga residence. He expected the Hyuga to immediately jump out of the car and not look back. When Sasuke pulled up though, she continued to stay seated. Sasuke glanced at her, but she didn't budge.

"Well?"

The Hyuga slowly turned around and Sasuke saw something like fright in her expression.

He rolled his eyes. How could one person be so fearful and meek?

She kept on looking at him. Sasuke tightened his grip on the steering wheel. She was probably seeking courage to ask him about Naruto. Sasuke frowned. No way, if she asked him anything about Naruto or the love letter so help him, he was going to kick her out of the car. Girl or no girl, she was going to get shoved out onto the pavement and Sasuke was going to speed away and leave her sorry ass.

"You look old."

Sasuke gaped at the wide eyed girl. She had just called him old!

The Hyuga shrunk under his gaze, she didn't look frightened though. She looked only surprised, maybe even more surprised than Sasuke. It was as if she couldn't believe the very words she had said without a stutter. She had said it quickly, but she said it nonetheless. Of all things to say!

They stared at each other for a moment longer before the Hyuga broke the eye contact.

"B-bye." she stuttered. She began fumbling with the door handle and was unable to open the door. She then blushed violently when she realized the door was still locked. Finally unlocking the door, she swung it open ungracefully and hastily began to get out.

By this time Sasuke had recovered a little, his shock replaced with anger. He grabbed the Hyuga's wrist before she was completely out. She tugged at her wrist for a moment, but instantly gave up. Sasuke had a death grip and he wasn't letting go until he had some answers.

"Why did you say that?" Sasuke's eyes bore into her skull. If she wanted to go so badly, she could easily answer this question.

The Hyuga's eyes began to flicker everywhere, like at the café. She took a long, deep breath before shyly glancing at Sasuke. "Y-you look a-a lot older w-w-when you frown."

Without thinking, Sasuke frowned.

The girl tugged at her wrist and Sasuke flung it away as if it was the most detestable thing to him in the world. He peeled out the moment the car door swung shut and drove wildly through the rain. He almost when zooming by his own house and had to slam on the brakes to stop in time.

He turned off the engine, but didn't get out of the car for several minutes. It took him a while to regain his temper and pride. Sasuke was use to be complimented by girls. He was use to being called hot, cute, sexy, et cetera. He was use to being desired by girls, but being called old made Sasuke feel both insulted and undesirable.

Drumming on his steering wheel, Sasuke glanced unconsciously in the rear view mirror. His finger's stopped in mid drum. Oh no, he wasn't going to allow what the Hyuga said get to him. Sasuke gritted his teeth and willed himself not to look, but finally relented to the temptation.

Adjusting his mirror, he looked at himself and frowned.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Oh, looky here, I'm updating one day sooner than usual. XD I want to thank everyone that has reviewed, favorited, or put my story on their story alert list. You guys are inspiring and I hope you all continue to enjoy my story. I plan to update weekly (usually on Sunday), but I only have so many chapters written ahead of time. I will update as much as possible. Plus I hope everyone feels free to make suggestions and ideas for this story. I have a general idea where I want this story to go, but there is plenty of room for extra scenes and sub-plots. ^^

Chapter 4

"Please!" Naruto was on his knees before Sasuke. His hands were folded as if he was praying. Which if begging and praying was the same thing, Naruto was a full on saint.

Sasuke stood up and began walking away. Naruto trailed on behind him, crawling like an unloved creature.

"Come on Sasuke, what do I have to do to change your mind? I'll do your homework for a month!"

Sasuke scoffed. "Idiot, it's still no. For one it's still summer, which means no homework and second," Sasuke glanced at his pathetic friend, "you're horrible at homework." Naruto began whining even louder and latched onto his ankle.

"I'll owe you a favor, no five favors! Just go with me, please, you know how much it means to me!"

With Naruto still holding on for dear life, Sasuke started walking again, dragging Naruto slowly across the floor. He knew he'd probably have to give in to Naruto's demands soon; he couldn't take Naruto's whining much more. He was either going to bend to Naruto's will or bend Naruto's neck. Murder sounded so much easier, but Sasuke was pretty sure that was illegal. Sasuke looked down at the thing attached to his he could say it was self-defense against an idiot?

* * *

><p>Sasuke massaged his temples as he listened to Naruto's ramblings and preparations.<p>

Naruto and Sasuke were now getting ready for a double date. Yes, a double date. Something that Sasuke never thought he'd be doing in a million years. The only reason it was happening was because of Naruto's persistent begging and the prospect of making Naruto do anything he wanted for an entire week. Oh and there was going to be hell to be paid for.

"I wonder how much money I'll need?" mused Naruto aloud. Digging in his pockets, Naruto produced a sad looking wallet. He opened it up and peered inside and stared at it as if it had broken his heart.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke groaned as he rolled his eyes. Going to the movies on a double date with Naruto was bad enough, no way was he going to give Naruto money as well.

"Pay for your tickets yourself."

"How can you be so cruel?" whined Naruto. Sasuke sighed, he had already suffered an hour of Naruto's whining and he wasn't about to suffer another one.

"Who's coming along with us?" asked Sasuke, attempting to change the topic.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion before replying. "Oh! Our dates!"

Sasuke growled at the word _dates_.

"Sakura and Hinata!"

Suddenly Sasuke's life flashed before his eyes and he wonder what exactly it was that made him deserve this hell. Honestly, the Hyuga? Did fate hate him or was it simply teasing him?

"Sasuke?" asked Naruto. He waved a hand in front of Sasuke's face, making it very tempting for Sasuke to want to bite it off. "Sasuke~?"

"Why?" Sasuke croaked. He knew this wasn't a very good question, but it was the only thing that popped into his mind. Why was Hinata going along as one partner for the double date? And more importantly, _whose_ date was she going to be?

"Sakura said she'd only go to the movies with me if it was a double date and she really wanted to bring Hinata along." Naruto peeked at Sasuke's face. "You don't really have to consider it a date," Naruto reassured. "We're just four friends going to the movies together." Naruto smiled secretly to himself though. "But I'll get a chance to put the moves on Sakura finally." Naruto blushed in anticipation and Sasuke rolled his eyes at his friend's stupid grin.

Okay, so it wasn't a double date, just a group a friends to the movies. Yeah, Sasuke liked the sound of that a lot better. He felt himself ease for a moment, but tensed up a moment latter at a sudden thought. To Sasuke it was going to be just a gathering of friends, but to the Hyuga what was it going to be? Was she going to consider this as a date to the movies with him?

Sasuke groaned and threw himself on Naruto's bed. It just occurred to him as well that he had left the Hyuga's love note in his other jacket, which was at home. Not that he was considering giving the note to Naruto right now; that would just make their "double date" a disaster. Still, Sasuke was now cross with himself for continuously forgetting to give Naruto his letter. If he had done so yesterday or the day before, perhaps this "double date" wouldn't even be happening. Throwing his arms over his head, Sasuke sighed very loudly.

_ Kill me._

* * *

><p>At the movie theater, the "double dates" all met at the entrance. Naruto was fidgeting nervously, glancing at about theater entrance with excited and bright eyes. Sasuke's only pleasant thoughts were ways of murdering his best friend. <em>Long<em> and _painful_ were very key words.

Sakura and Hinata arrived a few minutes shortly after Sasuke and Naruto. When they entered, Sakura seemed to glow happily while she halfway dragged the Hyuga along who was looking paler than usual. Stopping in front of them, Sakura giggled shyly as she fingered her hair. She was in jeans and a nice red top, while the Hyuga was dressed in a blue skirt and white blouse. Both girls stood before them, both shy and embarrassed, but Sakura at least seemed happy. The Hyuga in return though, looked only nervous. She glanced a few times at Naruto, but her eyes always quickly looked away. Sasuke concluded that Hinata was probably upset by the fact that she wasn't Naruto's date. Frowning, Sasuke looked away, feeling uncomfortable. He cursed his stupidity for picking up the love note for the thousandth time today once more.

Turning back, Sasuke met Hinata's gaze which momentarily landed on him. She didn't seem too surprised to see him, but she probably wasn't anticipating a glorious time with him. Sasuke sent out a glare that meant that this wasn't a date between them. She flinched and Sasuke was satisfied that he got the message across. This was not a date at all.

"Hello Naruto, Sasuke." Sakura waved cheerfully at them. Sasuke nodded in return and Narurto replied enthusiastically to Sakura's greeting.

Grabbing Naruto's elbow, Sasuke dragged him toward the ticket booth, impatient to get the whole messy situation over with. Sasuke stood first in line as Sakura and Naruto bickered over the tickets together.

"Okay Sakura, if I buy the tickets, than you can buy the food," offered Naruto.

"No way," growled Sakura. Her temper was already diminishing within the first few minutes of their date; not she didn't have her reasons. Idiots tended to wear people's patience short. "You're the one who wanted to bring me on a date, so you pay for everything! Besides, you're the guy, aren't you? You're supposed to pay for everything!" Sakura walked off and it was decided. Naruto would have to use every last penny he had.

"H-here Naruto," said a quiet voice. Sasuke whipped around, looking with shock as the Hyuga offered a twenty dollar bill to his best friend.

Naruto looked down at the money with shock as well, blinking in disbelief.

"Are you sure?" asked Naruto. He sounded hesitant, but was already smiling with relief at the prospect of actually having some money for his date. The Hyuga nodded and no sooner than she did, Naruto grabbed the money and cut in front of Sasuke.

"Two tickets please," said Naruto proudly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. She was never going to get that money back.

After receiving the tickets, Naruto waved them around proudly like he had won a war. He turned around to face the Hyuga happily.

"Thank you so much Hinata! You're the best! I promise I'll repay you one day!"

Naruto wrapped her in a quick hug, before running off to give Sakura her ticket. Feeling annoyed, Sasuke turned away from the lovesick expression on the Hyuga's face and placed down his money for a ticket. How could she stare at Naruto with that much love when he was on a date with another girl?

"How many tickets?" asked the woman behind the ticket booth.

Sasuke glanced at the Hyuga, he would have left her to buy her own ticket, but she just gave up her money to Naruto. Sasuke rolled his eyes; she probably didn't have any more money.

"Two please," he said.

When handed his tickets, he turned around and stared down at the Hyuga. She stared back at him, then looked away and began to fidget.

"Here," Sasuke shoved a ticket at her and she looked at it in surprise.

"N-no, I-I c-can-"

"Too late," said Sasuke. He shoved the ticket at her again, his annoyance rising rapidly. Stupid girl, she should have spoken up and not allowed him to waste his money if she still had money of her own.

The Hyuga glanced at him and saw the annoyance in his eyes and accepted the ticket quickly. She then followed behind Sasuke quietly as he joined up with Naruto and Sakura again. She joined beside them as they looked over the refreshments and candy to decide what to buy. Sasuke stood to the side, he didn't really like sweets and he wasn't thirsty at all, so he thought he'd skip the drink all together. Naruto on the other hand bought a large container of popcorn and two median drinks for his date and himself, using up the last of his money and the Hyuga's.

Sakura and the Hyuga had both modestly bought a single bag of candy and were watching in amusement as Naruto struggled to carry everything he bought. Sasuke smirked and walked on ahead.

Sasuke was at least thankful for one thing and that was the fact they were all going to see a movie together rather than having a dinner. Sasuke sighed in relief; all he had to do now was sit quietly and watch the movie. There was no need to converse or acknowledge anyone's presence.

Naruto chose their seats in the middle of the theater, where he always wanted to sit. He would have thrown a fit if he couldn't. The Hyuga slid into the row first and Sasuke would have allowed Sakura and Naruto to slid in beside the Hyuga, but alas he was shoved in after her by Naruto.

Sasuke hissed loudly and someone shushed them in return. Hinata turned and looked at him and Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat down reluctantly beside her. Naruto sat beside Sasuke and just as Sakura seated herself, the room darkened and commercials stopped playing and went to the trailers. Sasuke was happy there would be no need for conversation, but he became dismayed when he discovered the movie was going to be a romantic comedy, not his ideal genre.

Sasuke visibly gagged, but recovered himself quickly when his "date" glanced at him. He could do this; all he had to do was watch the movie.

The movie had barely begun though when Naruto tried to put the move on Sakura. He pretended to yawn as he stretched his arms above his head. Then he tried to discreetly wrap an arm around Sakura's shoulder. It didn't go as planned. There was a hiss and then a bump and an "ow" that was loud enough to get shushed by the people around them. Sasuke smirked to himself though as he returned his attention back to the movie screen. Witnessing that had been at least worth five double dates.

* * *

><p>Sasuke adjusted himself in his seat, trying to get comfortable. The movie was almost over now, he was sure, but his bones ached and he felt the need to move. Raising his arms above his head he let out a yawn and stretched. His back popped a little and his muscles relaxed. Ah, that was heavenly. He was about to lower his arms, but instead Sasuke froze, sensing someone looking at him.<p>

Turning his head to the left he saw Sakura staring open mouthed at him. Sasuke stared back, wondering why she was looking at him like that. Then looking cautiously over his right shoulder he saw the Hyuga girl staring at him as well. She was looking at his up-stretched arms as if they were a threat to her life. Sasuke began to lower his arms and paused. Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Sasuke stared wide eyed at the Hyuga and quickly lowered his arms and crossed them over his chest.

The hell, they thought he was going to try to put the move on the Hyuga. Sasuke glanced at the girl and saw that she was still staring at him. She blushed lightly and quickly returned her eyes toward the screen. Sasuke stared at her for a moment longer and frowned. The hell.

He felt his temper rise again as he recalled the absolute fear on the Hyuga's face when she was looking up at his arms. Did she fear him that much? Sasuke shook his head. So she probably did fear him, but Sasuke didn't care.

He watched the ending of the movie with an angry scowl.

* * *

><p>After the movie Sasuke separated himself from everyone else the moment he had a chance. He stood aside as his three companions chatted and recalled their favorite scenes of the movie. They all began to make their slow walk toward the exit and Sasuke followed a few feet behind. Stupid love note. It was on his mind again, because he had failed to give it to its rightful owner so far.<p>

It wasn't his fault though. Sasuke knew that he wasn't only forgetting the love note accidentally, but purposely as well. Self-admittedly he just felt too embarrassed to give the note to Naruto because then he would have to explain why he took it, read it, and held onto it for so long. It wouldn't be so hard if he knew the answer to all the questions. But he didn't, he didn't understand how he had even gotten mixed up in all this.

Watching the Hyuga and Naruto, Sasuke wondered if it would make a difference anyway. Naruto was in love with Sakura and he was on a date with Sakura right now. What could the Hyuga girl be hoping for?

Naruto told a joke and the Hyuga was sent into a fit of laughter along with Naruto.

The Hyuga would sooner or later ask about the love letter though, someday, somewhere. And she saw Sasuke directly after she had placed down her letter. She may be an idiot for loving the idiot, but Sasuke didn't doubt her ability to place two and two together.

Sasuke placed a hand on his forehead in frustration. It had already been almost three weeks now since he found the letter. He wasn't sure who he thought was the bigger idiot. Himself for his forgetfulness (Honestly? Almost a whole month of forgetting?) or the Hyuga.

And what the hell was she waiting for? For Naruto to one day fall in love with her and come sweeping her off his feet? Sasuke fell even farther behind the group, his feet dragging slowly across the ground.

No one seemed to notice his absence except Sakura. As Naruto engaged Hinata into another topic, Sakura looked around herself, looking for Sasuke. When she spotted him, she smiled, but stopped as she saw his expression. Sasuke looked away as she paused to wait for him to catch up. Naruto and the Hyuga continued to walk, seemingly oblivious to the sudden absences of their dates.

"Hey," said Sakura. She smiled at him, as if trying to lighten the mood. "Have you had a nice time?"

"Hn." Sasuke stared ahead, avoiding eye contact. Sakura giggled a little at his response.

"I was surprised that you even came."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Naruto made me."

This time Sakura laughed a little louder, drawing the curious eyes of their companions up front. Smiling shyly, Sakura waved at them and Naruto shrugged and continued his conversation with the Hyuga.

"Why did you come?"

Sasuke blinked at Sakura and shrugged. "Naruto made me." He returned his gaze forward, staring intently at the backs' of his best friend and his friend's secret admirer.

Unknown to Sasuke, Sakura followed his eyes and was looking after them as well.

Frowning, Sakura's face became serious and contemplative. She glanced at Sasuke's face and studied his expression for a second. What was that look in his eyes? Sakura wasn't sure, but in her stomach she felt her muscles tense with unease. Was that the look of . . . hatred?

**AN: **I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing. X3 I myself like the humor in it. Nothing to send you rolling laughing, but I hope this chapter at least made you smile. Oh, and I hope Sakura wasn't too out of character. I don't write fanfiction much that includes Sakura, so I hope she doesn't come off as . . . exaggerated(?).

Please review, it would inspire me to write more chapters so you guys continue to have weekly updates. ^^ Especially if you make any suggestions for the story.


	5. Chapter 5

**Review Responses:**

~Confused: I am glad you caught that, yes, Hinata did attend the party with Shino and Kiba. She did so because they are her friends. I don't view Kiba and Shino as friends of Sasuke, at least not in this story. Kiba and Shino are friends with Naruto, so I suppose they may be friends with Sasuke indirectly in a sense, but I do think Sasuke really cares about the two of them and who they are friends with. Now about Hinata being friends with Sakura, I'll admit that was short sightedness on my part. I am glad you pointed it out, it shows that I need to pay more attention to my own story. Thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!

~Francis: Thank you so much for your comment! :) I am so happy that you find Sasuke believable. I want to try to keep him in character as much as possible, so this story is going to end up being long. He is very stubborn and hard to make him fall in love, so I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**AN: **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Sorry that I didn't update yesterday or respond to any reviews except the ones above. I appreciate all the feedback very much though, your words mean a lot to me. I'll stop rambling so you can start reading. ^^

Chapter 5

Sasuke finally made an decision. He wasn't going to give the Hyuga's love note to Naruto. Last night when everyone was saying their goodbyes at the movie theater, Sasuke saw what he suspected could be potential love in Sakura's eyes.

Sasuke knew about his best friend's feelings for the girl and that there was no way Naruto could love the Hyuga the same way. It didn't matter how long the Hyuga had been in love with Naruto. Naruto had been in love with Sakura just as long.

After years of crushing on Sakura and following her like a loyal dog, Naruto was so close to earning her love. Sasuke knew that Sakura allowing Naruto to take her on a date was a big breakthrough, but only until Sasuke saw the look in her eyes did he realize how big of a breakthrough it was. Sasuke was happy for his best friend and with Naruto so close to receiving Sakura's love. . . .

Sasuke wasn't going to allow anything to get in between his best friend's happiness. Especially not a stupid girl who couldn't see that she was only getting in between. If Naruto ever saw the note it would only complicate things and ruin Naruto's happiness. With firm resolution and confidence, Sasuke promised himself that he'd stop the Hyuga at whatever cost. He owed Naruto so much already; he at least owed his friend the happiness he deserved.

* * *

><p>"Ah," sighed Naruto. He was splayed lazily across the living room couch, his arm covering his eyes from the intense light. "What time is it?"<p>

Sasuke rolled his eyes to the clock hanging on the wall. "Almost one," he grunted. Pushing himself off the floor, Sasuke gazed groggily around himself. He was bored out of his mind. Groaning, he flopped back down onto the floor in a state of complete laziness. The humidity in the air seemed to be choking the life around him and turning his bones into sap.

"Want to go swimming?" droned Naruto, not sounding enthusiastic as he usually would be.

"No," said Sasuke. Swimming would mean having to go his house and getting a swimsuit and then driving to the public pool that was probably beyond crowded and then of course, swimming, which all these things required energy that he didn't have.

"It's . . . it's so hot!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, too exhausted to do anything else. Was the heat melting the rest of Naruto's puny brain?

"You know what sounds nice?" began Naruto, closing his eyes. "The library."

Sasuke leaned forward and raised an eyebrow at his friend. The library? That was a first; Naruto never went to the library unless he had to check out a book for school.

"What?" asked Naruto, returning the stare. "It's air conditioned."

Smirking in amusement, Sasuke stood up and stretched his arms. "Okay, then we're going to the library."

Getting into the car, Sasuke was glad that Naruto and he were actually going to do something. Yesterday they just had stayed inside and played video games the whole time. Sasuke could literally feel his brain melting away due to no use. A book or two would do him a whole lot of good.

Arriving at the library, they found its lawn crowded with families picnicking and friends hanging out. Several young children ran around, their faces and shoulders burnt and their clothes covered in grass stains. Many of the women were dressed in summer dresses and practically everyone was wearing sunglasses.

All the picnic tables were occupied and others sat under the trees for shade. Stepping out of the car, Naruto immediately was greeted by Kiba who was with his family.

They began to vigorously talk, both trying to say something at once. Standing to the side Sasuke looked around himself. He hoped that it wasn't crowded inside the library. He knew that people liked to hang around the library, but he had never seen it so crowded before.

"So what's brought you here?" asked Kiba.

Naruto shrugged. "We came to check out a few books."

Kiba laughed, slapping Naruto hard on the back. "For books, really?"

Naruto shrugged, a strange expression crossing his face that didn't go unnoticed.

"Anyways, I'm here with my family today." Kiba pointed over his shoulder. "Some of our other friends are here as well, even Hinata."

At that moment Sasuke saw the Hyuga a fraction before Naruto did as well.

She was with a group of people who were planting in the library's little "gardens." She just finished planting a flower when Naruto spotted her.

Reaching out, Sasuke tried to stop Naruto, but he was already running past Kiba to the Hyuga.

"Hey Sasuke," said Kiba as Sasuke walked by. Sasuke ignored him though, following after Naruto.

"Hey Hinata!"

The Hyuga looked up and smiled at Naruto. Standing, she wiped her hands on her already filthy pants and brushed her hair behind her ears.

"What are you doing?" asked Naruto. He glanced down at the flowers and bent down to examine them. "These are really beautiful! I didn't know anyone took care of these flower patches."

The Hyuga smiled and knelt down beside Naruto. "N-no one really does. We-" she gestured to the group of people who were also planting as well. "We all volunteer to l-look after them."

"Wow," breathed Naruto. "Some of these flowers are really beautiful Hinata!"

Her blush was immediate as she smiled happily at Naruto. "Thank you."

Sasuke felt white hot anger spike inside him, roaring and raging in his ears. His nails dug into his palms in attempt to contain his anger. With a sudden jerk he grabbed the back of Naruto's shirt and pulled him up to his feet.

"Wha-?" said Naruto. "Sasuke, what the hell?"

Sasuke ignored him though and roughly pulled him away from the openmouthed Hyuga. Sasuke sent her a glare over his shoulder that went unnoticed by Naruto, but her flinch made it obvious that she saw it.

Laughing nervously, Naruto reluctantly allowed himself to be pulled away. "Ha-ha, ugh, bye Hinata! Talk to you later I guess."

Once they were inside the library Sasuke let Naruto go and began to walk away haughtily.

"Jess Sasuke," Naruto whined. "What was that for?"

"You wouldn't shut up and I was beginning to sweat," lied Sasuke. Well, it was only half a lie.

"Impatient are we?"

Sasuke ignored the retort and instead went in search for a good book.

Finding a good number of books, Sasuke set them down at a table and began to scan through them flippantly. He was just picking up a different book when he paused.

He could feel someone staring intensely at him. Glancing up he saw a girl with dark brown hair glaring at him from the table across from him. She looked like she was twelve, but Sasuke had never seen her before. Why the heck was she staring at him like that for?

Sasuke ignored her, but when he glanced up again she was still glaring. He returned the glare and was surprised to see that she met his gaze full force. Sparks seemed to fly between them as they stared each other down. Sasuke felt a snarl begin to creep on his face and just when he thought he was going to snap, the girl looked away. Sasuke stared at her for a moment longer before standing up. He had no idea who she was, but he really didn't want to stay at the library any longer.

Finding Naruto in the magazine section napping in one of the beanbags, Sasuke smirked in amusement before kicking his friend in the rib.

"Get up."

For a moment nothing happened, then without warning Naruto rolled out of the beanbag in a heap. He blinked around himself for a moment before slowly gazing up a Sasuke.

"How'd you get so big?" asked Naruto tiredly. Sasuke scoffed and began to walk away.

"Idiot, come on, let's go."

Naruto slowly got his feet before running after him. "Wait up!"

At the checkout the girl that had been glaring at Sasuke earlier was standing in line. When he stepped in line behind her, she turned around and glared at him with obvious hatred. This time Sasuke just looked at her in confusion. What the hell did this girl have against him?

The girl stared at him until it was her turn to check out her books. Then she gave him one lasting glare before heading to the exit.

Okay, weird.

Sasuke handed the librarian three books he decided to check out and just as she checked out the last book, Naruto suddenly added one more. Sasuke stared at the book before looking questioningly at Naruto.

"What?" asked Naruto. He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "It looks like a good book."

Deciding to let it slid, Sasuke shrugged. "If you return it late though, you're paying for the dues."

Naruto laughed nervously and quickly grabbed his book before Sasuke could look at it and ran out the door. Sasuke raised an eyebrow curiously.

Okay, even weirder.

At the doorway, the girl with brown hair was standing to the side, staring at him once again. Sasuke paused at the door and looked down at her and shrugged. Whatever.

Just as he opened the door, the girl kicked him in the ankle. Hard; she kicked him _really _hard.

What? The? HELL?

Grabbing his ankle, Sasuke glared death at the girl. She returned the look and stuck her tongue out and then ran past him into the crowded lawn. After a moment of rubbing his hurt limb, Sasuke ran after her. He stepped outside and immediately lost sight of her in the crowd. He looked all around him, but she was gone. Sasuke could feel his ankle throbbing where she had kicked him.

He wasn't going to let that slid, looking around he began to walk through the crowd. If he found that little demon, he was going to smack the life out of her.

Okay . . . maybe not the life, she was just a kid, but Sasuke wasn't going to rest until he knew exactly why she had kicked him.

"Sasuke!"

Stopping, Sasuke turned around to see Naruto running over to him.

"What?"

"I thought you wanted to go."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued walking.

"Sasuke?"

"What?" he yelled.

Naruto was looking at him with raised eyebrows. "Why are you limping?"

Sasuke growled to himself. He didn't want to admit it, but the damn girl had actually got him pretty good.

Opening his mouth to say something, Sasuke suddenly saw a flash of brown hair. It was the girl! Keeping his eyes trained on the dark hair, Sasuke took off after her.

"Sasuke?" called Naruto behind him.

Winding through crowds of people, Sasuke tried to keep up with the girl. He was losing on her though, due to her attack on his ankle. Sasuke was about to give up when the girl ran pass the Hyuga, who surprisingly stopped the girl by grabbing her shoulders as she passed by.

"Hanabi?" asked the Hyuga. She looked at the girl with a bit of concern.

The girl glanced back at Sasuke, glaring angrily, causing the Hyuga to look up at him as well.

"Sasuke?" she asked. She stared at him wide eyed before glancing behind him as well. "Naruto?"

Sasuke felt his friend fall in at his side, doubled over from exhaustion.

"Jess, Sasuke, why'd you take off like that?" Straightening up Naruto looked curiously at the Hyuga. "Hinata?"

The girl in the Hyuga's arms wiggled and broke away from her grasp.

"Hanabi!" she called, grabbing the girl again. "What's the meaning of this?"

Hanabi glanced up at the older girl and pointed at Sasuke. "He's angry 'cause I kicked him in the ankle."

"H-Hanabi!" cried the Hyuga, sounding horrified. She glanced at Hanabi and at Sasuke and then at Naruto.

"Is that why you're limping?" asked Naruto.

The Hyuga blushed madly and Hanabi broke away from her hold again and was able to successfully run away.

Sasuke watched her go with irritation, but let it decided that it didn't matter. He didn't feel like chasing down the devil again.

"Are you hurt?" asked the Hyuga.

Sasuke glanced at her and glared. "I'm fine," he said and began to limp away.

"Sasuke, you're limping." Naruto watched as Sasuke continued to walk and ignore him. "Do you have anything for him?" asked Naruto, turning to Hinata. She nodded and went to grab something from her bag.

Naruto then grabbed Sasuke roughly by the shoulders and forced him to sit down on the ground.

"The hell!" said Sasuke, brushing Naruto off. "I'm fine!"

"Okay!" yelled Naruto. "At least let her look at it then."

Sasuke glared, but gave in. The sooner he let her look at his ankle, the sooner they could go, so Sasuke relented.

The Hyuga returned with a jar of ointment in her hands. She sat down beside Sasuke who reluctantly rolled up his pants to his knee.

"Wowsers," said Naruto, laughing at the bruise that was already forming on Sasuke's ankle. "Your sister can certainly pack a kick, Hinata."

Her sister? Sasuke glanced at the Hyuga who looked away from his gaze. She probably commanded the little demon to kick him.

Opening the ointment, the Hyuga gathered a glob of it onto her hand to apply on Sasuke's bruise. Just as she reached out, Sasuke moved his leg away. She glanced up at him.

"I don't need it."

"Ah, come on Sasuke. Don't listen to him Hinata, he just acting tough."

The Hyuga tried again and again, Sasuke moved his leg.

She looked up at him and flinched when he glared at her, but kept looking at him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Sasuke continued to glare, but allowed the ointment to be applied this time.

Once she was done, Sasuke abruptly stood, definitely unwilling to stay any longer than he had to. He began to walk away as Naruto gave his thanks.

"You're a big help Hinata, thank you so much! And don't worry, Sasuke's not really angry, he's just really tired because of the heat."

The Hyuga just nodded and gave a small smile, closing the ointment jar tightly.

Naruto waved good-bye and ran to catch up with Sasuke.

"Hey, Sasuke!" called out a voice.

Both Sasuke and Naruto stopped and turned around, looking around for the person who called out to Sasuke. It ended up being none other than Hanabi, who had taken to sitting up in a tree.

She looked down upon them and stuck her tongue out spitefully at Sasuke before vanishing into the branches.

"What did you do to make her so angry?" asked Naruto.

"I have no fucking idea," mumbled Sasuke in return.

**AN: **Oh, you have no idea how much I love this chapter. XD Get him, Hanabi! Sick 'im!

Anyway, next week's chapter will reveal why Hanabi hates Sasuke. See you then! ^^


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hanabi had no idea her sister was going to be in such a vulnerable state when she came home that afternoon soaking wet. When she saw her sister home an hour earlier than usually she was surprised, but didn't detect her sisters' sadness. Hanabi prided herself with the thought that she knew her sister; actually, she was pretty sure she knew her sister better than her sister even knew herself.

Seeing Hinata arrive in a car that was not their own was indeed startling, but not as startling to see a handsome guy driving the vehicle. A handsome guy who was not Naruto. Hanabi knew who Hinata's love interest was and knew that her sister was nowhere near to getting over him. So seeing Hinata with another guy was indeed worrisome and curious and Hanabi could not contain herself from asking her about it.

"Who was that?" asked Hanabi the moment her sister entered through the front door.

"Hey Hanabi," greeted Hinata in reply. She took off her jacket and boots to put away.

"So?" asked Hanabi impatiently. She leaned forward, watching her sister as she hung up her jacket. It was soaking wet and already creating a puddle on the floor.

"Where's father?" asked Hinata.

Hanabi watched her sister with open curiosity. Their father, Hiashi, usually picked Hinata up from the library. "He had to go to a meeting. He would have picked you up if he hadn't had to go."

Hinata simply nodded, but Hanabi knew her sister was feeling neglected. Work first, daughters last. Especially Hinata. She always seemed to be the last thing on Haishi's list of things he paid attention to.

Grabbing a bag of already opened chips, Hanabi began to munch noisily.

Hinata glanced at the junk food in her sister's hands. "I'm going to make lunch, so put that away."

Walking to the kitchen, Hanabi sat down at the table, watching her sister put on a pot of water to boil. She continued to munch on the chips, ignoring her sisters pointed stare.

"So?" Hanabi began again.

Hinata looked up at her sister blankly, clueless of what she was asking.

Rolling her eyes, Hanabi put another chip in her mouth. "Who was that guy that dropped you off?"

"I-I-" Hinata began, but seemed to think better of it. "S-Stop eating those chips." She grabbed the bag from her sibling's hand, which got her a well deserved pout. Hanabi wasn't thrown off though. The chips weren't that important, Hinata's secret was.

"Who was he?" she exclaimed, impatient with anticipation. It had to be interesting if her sister was trying to avoid the question.

Hinata's shoulders drooped and she gave in to her sister's questions.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Hanabi paused, placing a finger on her chin. She wasn't too familiar with that name, and then it clicked.

"Oh~! Naruto's best friend, right?"

Hinata nodded and wrapped an apron around her waist and began to chop up some mushrooms for the stir fry she was making.

Hanabi blinked, not satisfied with the reaction she was getting from her sister. Sasuke wouldn't give her a lift out of the blue, right? This had to be something big. Hanabi tried to peer into her sister's eyes, but Hinata averted her gaze.

She _must_ be hiding something.

Playing with a flower that was on the table, Hanabi began to boredly pluck at its petals. How was she to get her sister to open up? "You guys hit it off?"prodded Hanabi curiously. Her sister didn't respond though, but continued to chop up ingredients for the stir fry. Hanabi huffed in annoyance.

"Do you like him?" asked Hanabi mischievously. "Or perhaps . . . does he like you?"

Hinata visibly blushed and Hanabi grinned in victory, satisfied with the reaction.

"Ohhhh is something going on between you?" pressed Hanabi. "Did you finally give up on Naruto? I don't blame you; personally I thought he was an idiot, but Sasuke . . . ." Hanabi paused thoughtfully. Honestly she never heard that much about Sasuke. "I hear he's really hot, which of what I've seen of him, he's pretty cute."

Glancing up, Hanabi noticed that her sister had stopped chopping up food and was staring at the knife in her hands. An expersionless frown was across her face, etching little wrinkles around her eyes.

"What's the matter?" Hanabi leaned on the table, trying to look more closely at her sister. "You like him right? And he likes you? Or is it one-sided again? Hinata?" Grinning cheekily, Hanabi whispered dramatically, "Are you in love~?"

A dam that Hanabi didn't see in her sister finally burst. Hinata dropped the knife in her hands and ran out of the kitchen. Alarmed, Hanabi ran after her sister, confused about what had just happened.

In the living room Hinata curled up on the couch, crying away her heart into a pillow in a few, short sobs.

"Hinata?" exclaimed Hanabi. Kneeling down by her sister, she began to smooth down her siblings hair. "Hinata," whispered Hanabi guiltily. She didn't realize she had pushed a tender topic. She would have never if she knew.

"Oh," sobbed Hinata, pulling her head away from the pillow. Taking Hanabi into her arms, Hinata quickly settled down, reclaiming her emotions into a place deep inside her.

"What is it?" asked Hanabi leaning into her sister's hug. If there was one thing Hanabi could do to help her sister, it was listen. Hinata trusted only Hanabi with her deepest secrets.

"I-I don't know," sighed Hinata pathetically. "I b-barely know him and y-yet-"

Hanabi looked curiously at her sister; she was talking about Sasuke, wasn't she?

"H-he h-hates me _so _much," Hinata whimpered.

So Hinata wasn't in love with Sasuke. Hanabi frowned at this new piece of information. Why did Sasuke hate her sister?

Hanabi clenched her fist angrily, Hinata's tears making Hanabi only think of their father. Hinata's biggest problem was their father and Hanabi wasn't sure if Hinata could ever get over some of the problems she had with him. And the last thing Hinata needed was another person to worry about.

"Ah, who cares, right?" said Hanabi, trying to cheer up her sister. "If you're not in love with him, why should you care about him?"

Hinata laughed sadly at her sister's words. "He's s-still Na-Naruto's b-best friend though."

Hanabi just rolled her eyes in reply. "And I still think Naruto's an idiot."

That time Hanabi managed to get a smile out of Hinata.

"He is not" said Hinata fondly. Standing up, Hinata started to walk to the kitchen. "I'm going to finish lunch now."

When Hinata vanished back into the kitchen, Hanabi gave herself a few minutes to recover her feelings as well.

She decided then and there that she hated Uchiha Sasuke and that from then and there; she was going to make him pay for making her sister cry.

* * *

><p>Naruto was acting weird . . . er than usual. Sasuke began noticing it the day he and Naruto went to the library. At first Sasuke decided to ignore it, but Naruto was beginning to act like he was hiding something and Sasuke was increasingly becoming suspicious.<p>

"Ugh," said Naruto, placing down his book. "I can't read anymore, I'm so bored."

Sasuke glanced up from his book, raising an eyebrow. They had only been reading for about thirty minutes, Sasuke thought Naruto could at least last longer than that.

Glancing in boredom around himself, Naruto leaned curiously against Sasuke, trying to see what he was reading. Sasuke moved, allowing Naruto to lose balance and fall onto the floor.

"Jerk!" exclaimed Naruto, sitting up grumpily.

"Hn."

Still sitting on the floor, Naruto leaned his chin on his hand, apparently finding nothing better to do.

A few minutes passed before Naruto spoke again.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Nothing that would interest you."

Naruto huffed angrily, tapping his fingers on the wooden floor. He looked around himself before looking up at the book in Sasuke's hands.

"It doesn't have an interesting cover," Naruto mentioned.

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

Naruto snorted in reply, looking at the book skeptically. It didn't look like a good book to him.

"What's it about?"

Sasuke glanced down at his friend on the floor. "Are you trying to be annoying?"

"I'm just curious!" Naruto defended. Standing up, he stared down at the page Sasuke was on. "You're already on page fifty?" asked Naruto, seemingly amazed at Sasuke's accomplishment. "Jess, I'm on page fifteen."

Sasuke ignored his friend this time, his impatience close to its end. He thought Naruto was going to settle down, but just as he turned the page Naruto jerked the book out of his hands.

"I just want to see what it's about," said Naruto, dodging Sasuke's attempt to grab his book back.

Sasuke relented, allowing his friend to flip through his book. Naruto was just restless and bored, he was probably hoping for Sasuke to start a fight with him. Instead, Sasuke opted to ignore Naruto and leave him in his current mood. Grabbing the book Naruto had abandoned, Sasuke looked at it curiously. It was a plain hardcover book, it didn't even have a title or author name on it. Sasuke glanced up at Naruto, he was pretty sure his friend had taken off the book's jacket. Sasuke shrugged, Naruto probably did so just to protect it from damage.

Sasuke was about to open the book when Naruto suddenly made a mad swipe for it.

"That's my book!"

Holding it away from Naruto's reach, Sasuke raised an eyebrow curiously. "Well you took mine, so I decided to look through yours."

"Well take back your stupid book," said Naruto, throwing it at Sasuke's head.

Sasuke dodged the book, a smirk forming on his lips. "No."

Naruto growled, jumping at Sasuke who skillfully sidestepped the attack. "Give it back, bastard!"

Still smirking, Sasuke decided to have some fun with this. "Why?" he taunted, waving the book at Naruto. "What are you hiding?"

Naruto growled again, diving for the book that Sasuke was holding above his head. Sasuke jumped to the side and took off, prepared to lead Naruto on a wild goose chase.

"You want your book back?" asked Sasuke, waving it just out of Naruto reach. "Can't have it." Opening the book, Sasuke looked at it curiously. Why was Naruto getting worked up for stupid book?

Suddenly, Naruto roared, jumping at Sasuke and tackling him to the ground. "Give it back!" he bellowed.

Shocked at Naruto's unpredicted rage, Sasuke fought back.

Sasuke pushed Naruto off roughly, who only dove back on Sasuke with renewed anger. Gaining the upper hand, Naruto punched Sasuke in the mouth, causing Sasuke's head to slam back onto the floor, making his sight blur and darken for a moment.

A new surge of energy ripped through Sasuke who with amazing force, pushed Naruto off him, sending the male colliding into the couch behind him. Before Naruto could recover, Sasuke threw his book at him. The book hit Naruto in the face and Naruto stopped, suddenly looking as if the thing weighed a ton.

Angrily Sasuke got back on to his feet, whipping at his now bloody lip. Naruto sat heavily down on the floor, staring at the book in his hands.

Naruto glanced up at his friend, but Sasuke wasn't looking at him.

"I'm leaving," said Sasuke bitterly.

"Sasuke-" Naruto got up to stop his friend, but was only shoved angrily aside.

"Shut up," said Sasuke.

Grabbing his book that was discarded on the floor, Sasuke glared angrily at it as if was the reason for all of his problems. Naruto sat heavily down on the couch; he put his arms around his head and sighed deeply. For a moment, Sasuke contemplated what to do next. He wanted to be furious and storm out the door, but instead he sat down next to Naruto.

For a moment they just both sat in silence, neither one sure what to do. Naruto was the first one to make amends. After staring at the book in his hand for a long time he suddenly tossed it on to Sasuke's lap. Sasuke looked at the book with an annoyed expression, realizing that the book _was_ the reason he was in a bad mood. He glanced at Naruto before opening it curiously.

At first there was silence as Sasuke looked over the books' title and author, but then there was uncontainable laughter.

"It's not funny!" yelled Naruto.

Sasuke just put down his friend's book, gripping his side in laughter. Naruto began to growl, but Sasuke put up his hand to stop him.

"Okay, okay," he gasped. "I'll stop laughing."

Regaining his composure, Sasuke sat quietly now, but he couldn't wipe the smirk off his face. Yes, he was surprised what book his best friend was apparently reading, but Sasuke thought it was funny mainly because Naruto had been _so _desperate to keep him from seeing it.

"Hey," said Sasuke, trying to cheer up his friend. "I promise not to tell anyone. Except for maybe Kiba." Sasuke kept his expression serious, but inside he was laughing at Naurto's embarrassment.

Naruto just scowled, ignoring Sasuke's comment. The silence stretched for a while longer between them, and then hesitantly Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances. Naruto looked down at the book in his hand. He stared at its title for a few moments, before blinking slowly.

_"Tips on Dating: How to Get the Girl_," said Naruto, reading the book's title aloud. He blinked again and broke into a grin before exploding into hysterical laughter as if he too found it unbelievable that he was reading such a book.

Sasuke easily joined in his friend's laughter and he didn't stop laughing for five minutes. Even after Naruto stopped laughing himself and threw the book at Sasuke. If anything, it made him laugh a little bit harder.

**AN: **So sorry for the late update. Where in the world did this week go? No interaction between Hinata and Sasuke in this chapter, but you get two today, since I failed to update last week. Really sorry about that.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **As always, I want to thank my lovely readers and reviewers. You all have been supportive and encouraging and this story would have immediately discontinued without you. I hope you enjoy this chapter. (:

Chapter Seven

A couple days after discovering what Naruto was reading, Sasuke had decided to give his friend some much needed space. Sasuke understood why Naruto was reading _Tips on Dating: How to Get the Girl_, but it seemed so unlike him that Sasuke could understand why Naruto had been embarrassed. At first Sasuke felt guilty for laughing at his friend, but he realized later on that if he hadn't laughed it would have been really awkward. Still, Sasuke tried to make it up to Naruto by approaching him about the book from a serious level. It didn't go so well.

Sasuke knew Naruto was serious about Sakura; he had been serious about her for years. In attempt to be supportive, Sasuke tried talking about Sakura together with Naruto. He had never done that before and after attempting to give Naruto some advice, Sasuke decided he would never try again. Naruto, too embarrassed to face Sasuke about his feelings, ended up flipping out on Sasuke. In return, Sasuke left Naruto alone. He was pissed in the end about Naruto's own stubbornness, but he allowed it to slide because he felt just as embarrassed and awkward. Besides guys do not talk about love with each other. Especially Sasuke and Naruto.

A couple days passed and Sasuke allowed his temper to cool off and when he went back to Naruto's house, the blonde had already forgotten their argument. Eager to forget their argument as well, Sasuke allowed Naruto to bring him along to the nearby lake for a day.

On the white sandy lake side, Sasuke was able to allow himself to fully relax since the beginning of the summer. Between the Hyuga's love note and Naruto's inconsistent emotional state Sasuke had been too stressed to be having much fun.

At the lake the sky and air hummed with humidity and the water lapped lazily at the shore. Sasuke didn't have anything to worry about, but Naruto and the potential threat that the boy would eventual attack Sasuke from the sky and attempt to wrestle him in the cool lake water.

Kiba eventually appeared at the lake as well with his family. He joined in Naruto's and Sasuke's enthusiastic play fighting until his mother aggressively called him back to spend time with the family.

Naruto's and Sasuke's day were going wonderfully until they were lying down on the lake shore exhausted of all their energy. Sasuke could feel grains of sand and dirt scratching at the nape of his neck, but he had little thought to move at all.

"Nee, Sasuke," called Naruto from nearby. Naruto was lying with his face in the sand, his words coming out muffled. The sand could not muffle the angry and groaning sounds Naruto's stomach made and the worst thing was that Sasuke's stomach called out in reply as well.

"I'm so hungry," whined Naruto. His stomach growled again as to emphasis his words.

"Did you think to pack along a picnic?"

Naruto stopped his complaining and then mumbled something pathetically.

"What?"

"No?" said Naruto.

Sasuke sighed, but he had known what the answer was before he even asked. Leaning forward he began brushing himself off, but soon realized that he would need to rinse off to remove all the dirt that had gathered. He went back into the shallow water to rinse off and when he got out of the water he noticed Naruto wasn't lying face down in the sand anymore. He looked farther down the shore and saw Naruto talking animatedly to someone he couldn't see. He saw another person standing close by, a guy with long brown hair and a bitter expression.

"Oy! Naruto, what do you think you're doing?"

Naruto turned around smiling triumphantly. Behind him emerged the Hyuga.

"Hinata's offered us to eat lunch with her!"

Sasuke frowned. "We should go Naruto," said Sasuke. He began walking towards the parking lot, ignoring Naruto's protest.

"Oh, come on Sasuke! I'm starving and it will be a long drive back! Don't worry, Hinata says they have more than enough!"

Naruto latched onto Sasuke's arm, tugging at him to go back. From the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw the guy with the long hair move toward Hinata. He suddenly recognized him as Neji Hyuga, a senior that had once challenged him to a fight. Sasuke had declined, but Neji took it as a sign of weakness and has looked down upon him ever since. A growl formed deep in Sasuke's throat.

Neji saw Sasuke looking at him and sneered at Sasuke's face.

Sasuke felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up and he glared more ferociously. Neji smirked in return and began walking away.

"Okay," growled Sasuke.

Suddenly stopping his whining, Naruto looked up at Sasuke face. He looked towards Neji whom Sasuke was still glaring angrily at. He was confused by the sudden tension, but didn't say anything.

"Hey, Hinata!" yelled Naruto enthusiastically. "We can stay!"

The Hyuga's face brightened in return to Naruto's enthusiasm. Neji stopped walking to look back at them. His frown looked doubtful and unsure. Sasuke walked behind Naruto and the Hyuga as they walked toward where they were set up. Sasuke almost took back his agreement to the invitation when he spotted Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi.

Hanabi didn't notice Sasuke right away, but an imposing older looking man did. He stood rigidly, looking much too stern and stiff to be seen on the lake side relaxing. The moment Sasuke glanced toward him the man fixed a cold eye upon him. He also glanced momentarily at Naruto, but immediately looked back towards Sasuke.

When they all approached the man and the large blanket that was spread generously with food. Hinata took charge of introducing everyone and Sasuke was shocked that the imposing man before them ended up being Hyuga Hiashi, Hinata's father. Hiashi nodded at Naruto and Sasuke in greeting, but his eyes were distant and disapproving. He did not protest to them eating with them though, but he never relinquished his critical gaze from Sasuke or Naruto too long.

Sasuke ended up siting between Naruto and Neji, but he supposed that having Neji was better than having Hanabi. The younger girl had joined in on her father's glares, but hers were only directed at Sasuke. The urge to rub his bruise on his ankle was overwhelming Sasuke, but he relented in doing so. He didn't want the little twerp to know that evidence of her kick was still on Sasuke's ankle. Sasuke's pride told him it would be a sign of weakness if he dared to show that the bruise was still tender.

"Thank you for the food Hinata!" Naruto smiled brightly before digging into a sandwich in front of him.

Sasuke resisted the urge to slap Naruto for his terrible manners. Neji looked just as disgusted, but everyone else began to eat as well, either not noticing or ignoring Naruto's sloppy habits.

It was quiet while everyone ate. Sasuke was disgruntled by the sheer oppressing aura that seemed to surround them. He was glad at least Naruto didn't say anything stupid, but he had expected the Hyuga to have said something by now. Sasuke glanced at her, but she did not see him. Her head was bent over her food, eating in small and nimble bites. Hanabi and Neji were the exact same, their faces bent down over their food, making no sound at all. Hiashi was the only one looking up and he was staring intently at Sasuke. Sasuke met the older man's gaze, trying to look unfazed by his intimidating eyes. It was Hiashi who decided to break the silence.

"Uchiha Sasuke is it?"

Everyone looked up when Hiashi spoke. Sasuke nodded slowly in return, not breaking eye contact.

"You are a senior at the same school as Hinata, correct? Neji attended there as well, he graduated this year with the highest marks in his class."

Neji glanced at Sasuke with a smug smirk. Sasuke scowled in return, remembering Neji's taunts about him being weak. Hiashi ignored the obvious anger shifting between the two young men.

"I hear you duel as well. It's said that you have exceptional talent."

Before Sasuke could reply, Neji scoffed; loudly and rudely.

"I have heard the same Uncle, but I have yet to see Sasuke demonstrate these so called 'exceptional' fighting skills."

Sasuke felt a retort rise quickly and ferociously in his throat, but Hanabi was quick to add something as well to Neji's thought.

"I don't think Sasuke is everything he is cracked up to be. I bet Neji could easily take him out."

Snapping his jaw angrily, Sasuke resisted the urge to throw sand at the two sneering faces. Closing his eyes he let out an angry breath before standing up stiffly. Naruto was looking appalled, a piece of his sandwich hanging stupidly out his mouth.

"Sasuke's strong!" Started Naruto, looking stubborn. He swallowed quickly to add more to his argument. "I've fought him loads of times, he's really-!"

"Leave it." Sasuke ground out the words darkly. They left a taste like sawdust in his mouth.

"But Sasuke!"

"Leave it, Naruto." Loosening his stance, Sasuke stared coolly at Hanabi and Neji. "I don't care what they think." Naruto still looked stubborn and upset, but Sasuke walked away. He didn't care. He didn't. He. Did. Not. Care.

Walking towards the lake shore, Sasuke allowed himself a few minutes to calm his anger. He did care. Neji had struck deliberately at Sasuke's pride and he had hit right on.

"I suppose right now is not a good time to challenge a duel?"

Sasuke turned around sharply, meeting Neji's amused gaze with his angry one. The pale eyes sparked dangerously. Neji was looking for a fight, he wanted one. Well. . . Sasuke was going to give him one. All his early tiredness had completely left him now. Sasuke's anger and adrenaline pumped wildly through his veins.

Falling into a fighting stance, Sasuke found it to be his turn to smirk. "Bring it," he growled.

Neji looked momentarily surprised, but he easily went into his fighting position, matching Sasuke's smirk.

Sasuke moved first, aiming a fist at Neji's face. The older teen gracefully dodged Sasuke's attack and aimed to sweep Sasuke's feet out from underneath him. Sasuke admitted quietly that Neji was graceful, but he was faster. Jumping to the side he knocked Neji hard on the back. Neji stumbled for a moment, but quickly regained his stance and dodged Sasuke's kick aimed for his knee. Sasuke kept advancing on Neji though, granted most of his attacks were blocked or dodged, but he saw he had the upper hand. Sasuke was bare foot so it was easier for him to keep his balance on the sand, but Neji still had shoes on and wasn't as sure footed. Neji had seemed to notice this though and was slowly retreating to a more grassy area.

"Sasuke, Neji, stop! Don't fight, stop!"

Sasuke twisted his head to look at Naruto who was running towards to them.

"Naruto- you idiot- go away!"

A fist connect with Sasuke's nose as he turned back to his adversary. Stumbling back he lifted a hand to his nose. It hurt badly, but it wasn't broken.

He hadn't seen Neji coming at him because of Naruto distracting him. Neji had stopped attacking now though, looking both surprised and smug. Sasuke growled angrily. Stupid Naruto! If he hadn't intervened Neji wouldn't have been able to hit him. Now the bastard probably thought he had bested Sasuke in combat.

"N-N-Neji!"

Sasuke looked around and saw the Hyuga looking at her cousin with wide eyes. She turned her wide eyes to him next, her gaze alarmed and fearful.

"I'm s-sorry! A-Are y-you o-o-okay?"

Sneering, Sasuke straightened his stance, trying to look unfazed and immobile.

"Perfectly fine," he said coolly. The Hyuga's eyes widened more though, looking pointedly at Sasuke's nose. Raising a hand to his nose, Sasuke pulled it away to find it covered in his blood. Oh hell, his nose was bleeding. Well that was just great.

"Oh god Sasuke! You're bleeding! Are you alright?" Naruto was at Sasuke's side, his eyes almost as wide as the Hyuga's. Across from them Neji had his eyebrows raised in an amused expression. Sasuke waved Naruto off roughly, not wanting to look weak or defeated.

"Fine, I'm _fine_. Alright? Neji barely hit me."

If anything, Neji looked more smug now. "Your bleeding nose would suggest otherwise."

Before Sasuke could sharply retort, a quieter voice cut in between.

"H-Here."

The Hyuga was back (when had she left?) and had tissues in her hand, holding them out for Sasuke to take. Sasuke considered ignoring her and acting as if nothing was wrong, but the blood running down his throat was hard to ignore. Begrudgingly he accepted the tissues, not bothering to say thank you. He held the tissues to his nose, willing the bleeding to stop.

"Neji."

Sasuke looked up to see Hiashi staring sternly down at his nephew. The older man stood imposingly before them all, his gaze angrily staring Neji down. Neji met his gaze forcefully, before dropping his eyes to the ground shamefully. Apparently Hiashi was too much for Neji to take on.

"That was a disgraceful display. I expect better from my own nephew: Apologize."

For a moment, nothing happened. Neji was glaring at the ground as if demanding it to swallow him up. Sasuke stared at the older teen, daring him to disobey his uncle or suck up his pride and apologies to him.

"Now." Hiashi's voice was dark and menacing, probably daring Neji to _try _and disobey him. Sasuke didn't doubt that the man's voice held an underlining promise of what happened to those who disobey. Neji needed no more urging.

Bowing his head humbly to Sasuke, Neji apologized. "I hope you will forgive my earlier rudeness. I was out of line."

Smirking victoriously, Sasuke crossed his arms and shrugged nonchalantly. "I accept your apology. It was nothing really, the bleeding as already stopped."

Neji lifted his head, his face blank of emotion. His eyes met Sasuke's eyes defiantly though and Sasuke nodded in agreement to what they were saying. Neji and he would battle again. What had started today was not yet finished and they would confront each other again.

"I think it is time we headed home, it's getting late. Come on Naruto."

Sasuke began walking away, but Naruto stayed put and Sasuke stopped as well, waiting to see what his friend was doing.

"Sorry about that Hinata. Sasuke's just in one of his moods. Thank you for the food, it was delicious!" Naruto took the Hyuga's hand in a gesture of gratitude. She blushed the moment Naruto's hand touched hers and she looked very please. Sasuke was already moving to pull Naruto away before the Hyuga could say anything. It would be just his luck if she decided to ask about the love note right now.

Grabbing Naruto's arm, Sasuke tugged his friend's hand free the Hyuga's and began pulling him away. "Don't be an idiot Naruto. Let's go now."

"Naruto~!" Sasuke stopped. A female most certainly had called out to Naruto, but it couldn't have been the Hyuga, right? She sounded nothing like that. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that it was Hanabi, the Hyuga's younger sister.

Naruto looked puzzled as he gazed at the youngest member of the group. Hanabi had a sickly sweet smile on her face and was waving at Naruto.

"You're welcomed to visit us anytime you want Naruto. We would love to have you, just don't bring your friend, okay? We don't like him." Hanabi stuck her tongue out at Sasuke before smiling sweetly at Naruto again.

"Hanabi." Hiashi was looking at his youngest with disapproving eyes, but she scampered off, leaving everyone else to stand awkwardly behind.

Hiashi was frowning gravely, wrinkles and creases appearing on his furrowed brow. Neji looked bemused as he stared questioningly at Sasuke and Naruto. Hinata looked petrified though, her eyes locked onto Sasuke's angry one. She flinched when Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her.

"Ugh, Sasuke?" Naruto looked confused.

"Let's go," said Sasuke. He didn't bother saying goodbye, why should he?

"Hanabi really doesn't like you, does she Sasuke?" Naruto laughed nervously. "Don't worry though, you can still come along if you want, we don't have to listen to Hanabi. Hinata would be happy to have us both come over."

"Don't bother," growled Sasuke. He marched towards the car, swinging the door open violently. "I don't like that family and they don't like me."

"That's not true!" Naruto looked appalled at the suggestion that they did. "Hanabi and Neji might not, but Hiashi seems to like you, even though he is rather stiff. And Hinata, she doesn't hate you. I don't think she can hate anyone though, she's so quiet."

"Why does it matter? You're not even friends with her are you? I'm most certainly not."

Naruto was looking at Sasuke as if trying to understand him. "Yeah, we're not friends, but Hinata's nice."

Sasuke didn't make any reply to that. Instead he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot to go home. He did not want to think the Hyuga as _nice._ He did not want to think of her at all.

**AN:** Please don't laugh at my pathetic fight scene. XD I am a romantic not a fighter, thus I am terrible at writing action. I hope this was enjoyable all the same and even though it may not seem like it, Sasuke and Hinata are slowly heading in the right direction. I hope I am still keeping them in character.

Sadly, I can not promise an update next Sunday. Chapter seven is the last chapter that I had written ahead of time, so chapter eight is still in progress. From here on out, the updates are going to depend completely upon my creativity, inspiration, and time. I hope to have a chapter for you guys every two weeks though. I do not want to leave anyone or this story hanging.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I'm so sincerely sorry to all my lovely readers. Has it seriously been over six months since I last updated? You all must have thought that I had given up on this story. I have not and I promise I will see it through. Even if it takes forever. But that shouldn't happen, I promise.

Chapter 8

The parking lot across the library was practically empty when Sasuke arrived. Only a few scattered cars were parked and a lone biker was slowly pedaling down the street and around the corner. The sky was overcast, dark clouds rolled in slowly from the west. Another thunder storm was brewing. Sasuke walked quickly across the street, determined to arrive home before it started raining. From the corner of his eye he noticed a small number of people working in the library garden, but he turned his head to ignore them.

Inside the library was cold, the air conditioning no longer a refreshing breeze. With his books in hand, he walked over to the check out line. He was returning his books and Naruto's. On the drive over he had been intending to check out a couple new books, but now he just wanted to get home as soon as possible.

"Want to know why I hate you?"

Sasuke blinked down at the smaller girl whom had appeared in his path suddenly. She held her chin up daringly, trying to stare him down.

As if he would dare back down to Hanabi!

Taking a step closer, Hanabi glared upwards, not deterred by Sasuke's glare. "Well, don't you want to know?"

Providing the answer to that question didn't really feel necessary to Sasuke. Did she think he cared? He obviously didn't care, but he couldn't deny that he was perhaps faintly curious.

Hanabi didn't seem really interested in his answer anyways, because she pressed onward. Her voice low and venomous. "You made my sister cry. And for that I'll never forgive you."

Almost, just almost Sasuke scoffed. Because he had made the Hyuga cry? That's why this brat hatted him so much? Sasuke couldn't make sense out of any of it.

"I care for my sister, I love her, I'd do anything for my sibling. And making you absolutely miserable is one of the things I am going to do! But of course you don't understand. You're a heartless bastard and that's why I hate you."

Sasuke didn't move. He just glowered. Staring down at the miserable, pathetic girl in front of him. Stupid brat. She meet his gaze with matched furiousity, but Sasuke sensed she was startled by his silence. She was probably hoping for more of a reaction. Well she wasn't getting one.

He glared until he was sure that Hanabi wouldn't say anything as he turned to walk away. He dropped the library books roughly into the drop off slot. Uncaring about the angry gaze he received from the librarian. He walked away quickly, with angry steps. Damn that brat. Why did she have to show up everywhere?

Broken pieces of Hanabi's words echoed in his mind. 

_Anything for my sibling. _

_You don't understand. _

_I love her._

_Heartless._

_ Bastard._

_Bastard._ Yeah, he was a bastard alright. But he understood what it was like to love a sibling. And to do anything for them. Yeah, he had Itachi to thank for that. And he had Itachi to hate for that. He was a bastard too, Sasuke learned it from him.

* * *

><p>The moment Hinata saw Sasuke walk angrily from the library she knew Hanabi had said something. She must of. Hinata stopped gardening and watched him walk away. Crossing the street without even glancing to see if there were any cars.<p>

She felt her stomach twist painfully. Why did Hanabi have to go out of her way to make Sasuke more angry?

On her hand Hinata felt two light prickles of rain drops. Some of the other volunteers grumbled, but Hinata focused on Sasuke. The rain made her remember the one time Sasuke had picked her up. He didn't have to then, but he did. Even though he looked angry the entire car ride as if he had been forced to drop her off. She didn't understand. He hated her, right? Yet he still gave her a lift and saved her from standing outside in the rain.

Sasuke was by his car now, but he didn't open the door. He just stood there. Hinata starred curiously. What was he doing? She couldn't see his face, but she saw his fist clench and for a moment, Hinata thought he'd punch the car. He didn't though. He just stood there, staring at the ground, at least that's what she thought. It wasn't until a more rain began to fall that Sasuke seemed to pull himself out of some sort of trance. He moved suddenly, jerking the car door open and slamming it shut behind him forcefully.

As he drove away, Hinata watched with a heavy heart. Hanabi must of said something awful. Hinata bit her lip, feeling guilty. She would question Hanabi later and perhaps tomorrow Hinata could go apologize.

Perhaps.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** And a special thanks to those who've been reading and commenting on my story since the first chapter. I know it's been slow going, but this story wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the fabulous feedback I received from all the fabulous readers!

Chapter 9

"Hanabi."

The younger sibling didn't respond. She continued writing, seemingly unaware of Hinata's voice.

Hinata leaned forward, whispering, "Hanabi. . . Hanabi. . . ."

Finally, Hanabi deliberately looked up. She offered a small smile and politely asked, "What?"

Hinata sat down beside her sister, already beginning to fidget anxiously. She glanced at Hanabi, noticing how her sister's smile was plastered forcefully on her face and how her eyes seemed to be guarded, staring coolly at Hinata with indifference. It was obvious Hanabi knew already what Hinata was going to say.

"Did you check a book out yesterday?" Hinata asked, delaying the real question on her mind.

Hanabi shook her head and gazed back down at what she was writing.

Hinata bit her lip, feeling guilty about questioning her sister, but she had to know what happened yesterday at the library.

"Did you see anybody you knew at the library?"

Hanabi shook her head again, but they both knew it was a lie.

"Hanabi. . . ." Hinata sighed, weariness clinging to her and her very breath. "Please don't lie."

Slowly Hanabi lifted her head, her expression remote from emotion, but her eyes looked pleadingly to her sister. As if asking her to not make her confess to her lie, but before Hinata could even say anything else, the truth came tumbling out of Hanabi's mouth.

"I saw Sasuke and told him that I hated him and that he was a heartless bastard."

Hinata didn't react. She didn't know how to. Hanabi had spoken so quickly, the words falling out of her mouth as if she could no longer contain them. It took Hinata a moment to wrap the words around her head. When it all came together she gasped.

Hanabi watched her sister carefully, waiting for more of a reaction, but there wasn't one. Hinata continued to stare at her open mouthed.

Only after a brief passing of time did Hinata manage to whisper breathlessly, "W-what?"

Hanabi couldn't help but smirk slyly, a shred of her hatred coming into view. "I called him a heartless bastard and that he couldn't possibly understand what it's like to have a sibling who you'd do anything for."

That, that was it! Hinata felt her stomach drop heavily as if weighed down by Hanabi's words. Yesterday, Sasuke's devastated look, his anger that seemed to have been born inside him. Hanabi had no idea what she had truly said to Sasuke and Hinata could only stare at her sister in horror.

"H-Hanabi, you s-shouldn't have!"

Disturbed by the look of terror on her sisters face, Hanabi looked anxiously at her for answers. "What?" she asked. "What? What did I say?"

Hinata only shook her head, her hand covering her gaping mouth. "You need to apologize to S-Sasuke."

"What?" yelled Hanabi jumping to her feet. "Why? He's just a bastard! He made you cry!"

Oh, how Hinata wanted to explain to her sister about Sasuke and Itachi, but she doubted Hanabi would keep the story quiet. And that would be the last thing Sasuke would need, he didn't need to be reminded of his own pain and his brother's death.

Gently Hinata stood up and touched Hanabi's arm. She spoke carefully and deliberately, wanting to convey the severity to Hanabi.

"I can't explain to you why Hanabi, but you should apologize to Sasuke."

Hanabi glared haughtily, her eyes fierce. "Why?"

"Hanabi. . . ."

But Hanabi didn't seem to want to hear any of it and tore viciously away from Hinata.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"I can't Hanabi," Hinata pleaded.

"No!" screamed Hanabi, running away.

Hinata watched her go. She wanted to tell her only sister, but she didn't want to hurt Sasuke.

He had been hurt enough.

* * *

><p>The last week of autumn was fierce. The sun scorched the earth bellow, making new record heats for their town. School would be starting next week, this fact weighed heavily over Naruto, but Sasuke didn't care. He actually was remotely looking forward to his senior year of high school.<p>

"Ie-ya," whined Naruto. "I can't believe school starts again next week. I didn't get to do half of the things I was planning to."

"That's cause you wasted most of your time sleeping," scoffed Sasuke.

Naruto stuck his tongue out childishly. "You didn't do much either."

Sasuke rolled his eyes in reply. What Naruto said was true, but he wasn't going to admit to that fact. They continued walking down the town street.

"Ah," said Naruto, looking towards the Java Coffee shop, or rather the shop beside it.

"They sell ice cream here," he commented. "Do you want some?"

Sasuke shook his head in reply and Naruto shrugged and went on inside by himself. Leaving Sasuke to stand alone outside, but he wasn't alone for long.

"S-Sasuke?" called a timid voice. The Hyuga. He knew who it was before even turning around, but he did anyways.

The Hyuga stood a few feet away, she wasn't alone. Sasuke recognized the two males with her, Kiba and Shino. Both nodded toward Sasuke in greeting, but the Hyuga stepped closer. In response Sasuke nearly stepped back. He glanced around for Hanabi, for it seemed when one Hyuga was present more were to show.

Hanabi didn't appear though. Only the one Hyuga approached and before he could think much of it, she was bowing before him, exclaiming, "I'm sorry!"

"What?" he scoffed. Why was she apologizing?

The Hyuga raised her had, looking very sincere and afraid.

"A-About Hanabi," she whispered.

All Sasuke's anger from that day loudly paraded back to him. Yes. Hanabi. Hanabi yelling and calling him a bastard. His anger reared up and greeted him like a fresh memory.

The anger must of shown on his face, because the Hyuga bowed again, apologizing profusely.

Sasuke felt himself stiffen, realizing that the Hyuga knew what her sister had said and also what Itachi had done. Something dark and cold clamped down on that thought and sealed itself within Sasuke.

She knew. The Hyuga knew.

_But how?_

Sasuke didn't even hear himself ask the question. He wasn't even aware of himself saying anything until the Hyuga began replying. He knew what he had asked though, he had asked his thought aloud, _how.__  
><em>

The Hyuga was looking at him with her pale eyes, a slight tremble passing through her hands as she began to explain.

"H-Hanabi told m-me," she said at first, but she trailed off. He wasn't asking how she knew what _Hanabi_ had done, but rather about what _Itachi_ had done.

"W-we went to the same m-middle school. E-Everyone knew. It's n-not s-something you easily f-forget."

Sasuke instantly glanced at Shino and Kiba who were standing in the distance. That meant they remembered as well. His whole class remembered undoubtedly. A part of him wanted to accept this fact, of course they would remember, but the coldness clung onto his anger.

The Hyuga was staring at him anxiously. She looked very unsure, her eyes pleading with him to forgive her sister. To think she found the courage. Sasuke scoffed angrily at that thought. She wasn't brave, she was stupid. Why should he forgive Hanabi anyways, she wasn't the one apologizing.

His anger was building, but the thought that everyone knew about his past was what made Sasuke boil over the edge. He turned away and began walking, forgetting about Naruto who was still getting ice cream and even about the Hyuga. His thoughts were led by Itachi and he had to run away from them.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Sasuke stopped walking, small, trembling hands were holding him back. When he turned to look at the face that was staring desperately at him, the first thing he noticed were tears. They filled the corners of her eyes and they filled Sasuke with confusion. And a tiny part of him was fascinated and all his anger was pushed away from his thoughts.

She was crying for him.

The Hyuga, Hinata, was crying for him.

She slowly let go of his arm and looked down, hiding her eyes. "Please f-forgive H-Hanabi, she doesn't k-know w-what she said."

With a slow, deliberate movement, Sasuke nodded. Accepting the apology with slight hesitation and confusion.

Relief flooded into Hinata's face and she sighed gratefully.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Sasuke nodded again. He noticed Kiba and Shino staring at him wearily, but Hinata did not seem afraid any longer.

"Thank you Sasuke," she said politely once more before waving and walking away.

Kiba raised a hand in farewell as well and Shino nodded. The trio walked away together, leaving Sasuke alone once more.

For a minute, Sasuke was immobile, still trying to understand everything that had just happen. _The Hyuga_, he told himself, _the Hyuga_, but already the name was falling away.

_Hinata,_ he thought. And to his surprise he no longer minded her real name.

When Naruto finally came out of the ice cream shop with his cold treat, Hinata was already long gone and Sasuke was calm as a breeze.

Thoughts of the love note were far from his mind.

**A/N: **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 10 everyone will be back in school! I have a poll on my profile asking which character you find to be "most in character." If you have time I would love to have feedback on everyone's opinion. Please and thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **'Bout for an update, wouldn't ya say?

As always, I offer my eternal gratitude and thanks to all my lovely readers and reviewers. I would have honestly dumped this fanfic if it wasn't for all your support. I hope you at least enjoy this chapter! Summer is now over, school begins!**  
><strong>

Chapter 10

The lobby was filled to the brim with excited laughter and nervous teenagers. Freshmen crowded together, looking wearily at their older schoolmates who wandered confidently between groups.

The first day of school was beginning, open to many possibilities, but Sasuke stood secluded from everyone else. Indifferent to the classmates surrounding him.

"Sasuke!" Called Sakura in a chirpy voice. Sasuke nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement as Sakura skipped over to his side. From the crowd also appeared Ino, a perfect image of an excited high school girl. Perhaps a little too excited. . . .

"SASUKE~!" She yelled enthusiastically, startling Sasuke with her over the top ecstatic appearance.

Both girls seemed to be possessed by some overly happy demon.

"Aww," Ino pouted, analyzing Sasuke's stoic expression. "Aren't you at least a little bit excited?" she asked. "It's the first day of school!"

No, Sasuke wasn't excited. But he would be lying if said he wasn't looking forward to his senior school year. But he didn't want to admit that to Ino or Sakura so he just looked away from their endearing eyes with a "Hn."

"I can't believed it's the first day of school!" whined Naruto who managed to shift his way through the crowd to Sasuke. Actually, Sasuke noticed he was no longer secluded, but rather surrounded by a large group of his classmates. Ino, Sakura, Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and even Shino were already gathered around.

But no Hinata.

Sasuke didn't dwell on that thought for long, he realized he hadn't seen many of his classmates over the summer (except for Naruto and Hinata), and everyone seemed eager to catch up with one another.

Apparently Ino had went on a trip around the country with her parents the entire summer. Kiba had wasted most of his summer playing video games, and Sakura, Shikamaru, and Shino had all gotten themselves summer jobs.

"How about you?" asked Ino, turning her attention from Sakura to Sasuke.

Sasuke felt himself frown. Honestly, he hadn't done anything with his summer. He had spent most of it with Naruto. He felt ashamed and embarrassed, he had been even more lazy with his summer than Shikamaru had. Now that was an all time low.

"Oh, Sasuke and I didn't do much at all," cut in Naruto. He grinned, throwing an arm around Sasuke's shoulder, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"You wouldn't believe how lazy this guy is!"

Sasuke roughly pushed Naruto away, which only seemed to amuse the blond.

"Speak for yourself," muttered Sasuke.

Naruto only laughed, embarrassing Sasuke further. Luckily for Sasuke, the bell rang, signaling it was time for classes to begin. The excited buzz of students seemed to escalate further and before Sasuke could wrap his head around it, everyone began to walk happily to their first class, which for today was actually homeroom.

Sasuke leaned back in his seat, ignoring the annoying chatter of his fellow classmates. The homeroom teacher slowly passed out the mandatory papers that were passed out each and every year.

Deep in his thoughts, Sasuke wondered curiously how his last year of high school would end.

College. Damn. That was a thought Sasuke had pushed away all summer, but since today was the first day of his senior year, college seemed like a much more pressing and eminent subject.

Alas, the oppressing thought didn't have time to settle and was drowned out quickly by Naruto's obnoxious voice.

"Hey! Sasuke! Let me see your schedule, I wonder what classes we have together."

Sasuke surrendered the schedule impassively, knowing if he didn't, Naruto would take it for himself anyways.

Quickly comparing their two schedules, Naruto grinned foolishly. "Whoa, we have four classes together. Awesome."

Mildly curious, Sasuke leaned over to glance at the classes that he had in common with Naruto. They had second, third, fourth, and sixth period together. Strange they would have so many in common, but Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly and leaned back into his seat.

"Damn," he mumbled, knowing what he would say next would annoy Naruto. "I can never get away from you can I?"

"Hey!" Naruto swatted at Sasuke's head in retaliation, but Sasuke dodged it easily. The bell rang and he strolled out of homeroom, ahead of everyone else and headed to his first period which was AP Calculus. At least he didn't have that class with Naruto. Besides, the idiot would fail that class anyways.

**AN:** Yeah. . . that's it, I'm so sorry. I haven't had much inspiration these past few months, nor a lot of time. I too am experiencing my senior year and life has suddenly decided to speed up much faster than I anticipated. I've decided that chapter updates will be a lot shorter from here on out. I know, shorter chapters aren't any fun, but it will insure more frequent updates rather than me attempting to make one long chapter over the period of two-three months. (Seriously? Man, I am SLOW at updates, I am so sorry.)


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Happy Holidays everyone! I know I am a bit late, sorry. Over 100 reviews, thank you all so much! You're amazing. Sorry for any mistakes near the end of the chapter. I just finished it and it's past midnight. I would submit it tomorrow, but I'm having friends over and I didn't want to wait any longer to submit this. Please enjoy!

**Chapter 11**

Sasuke's first class was AP Calculus. It was a relatively small class in comparison to others he had in the past. A majority of his classmates had already dropped math, refusing to take more than what was required. Only students who managed to stay on top of their classes or cared enough made it on to AP Calculus.

Sasuke wasn't surprised to see Shikamaru made it. Even though he put minimal energy into his work, Shikamaru proved himself to be one of the smartest students at their high school. Their teacher did not waste time with introductions or any formalities, but began to immediately pass out forms to students already seated. Sasuke took everything in stride, after attending high school for three years, he was use to the flow of things.

At 9:15 the bell rang and as the other students filed out, Sasuke took his time. He had five minutes to get to his next class, which was only across the hall, so he had plenty of time. As he was about to step into the hallway, another student blocked his way. He stopped and looked at her and her wide, startled eyes.

Hinata blinked in surprise, then stepped back, allowing him to pass by her. Sasuke walked on and Hinata ducked past him, entering the class he was leaving. Sasuke glanced back for a moment, wondering why Hinata wasn't in AP Calculus, but then shook the question from his mind. It was none of his business.

Second period for Sasuke was physics and he recalled that this was one of the classes he was suppose to have with Naruto.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sit next to me." The obnoxious blonde waved his arm dramatically to attract Sasuke's attention.

Pretending to not hear or see him, Sasuke sat on the other side of the room, knowing well enough that it would annoy Naruto. It didn't take long for the blonde to get up and sit by Sasuke, he was like a needy puppy.

"Jerk," grumbled Naruto.

Sasuke flashed a confident smirk, then the ball rang and their teacher Iruka began to introduce himself to the class.

"Awesome," said Naruto. "We have Iruka, this class will be great!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, knowing that Iruka was Naruto's favorite teacher. Naruto continued to chat throughout the class, but Sasuke paid his attention to the teacher. When the bell rang, Naruto looked around in confusion.

"What, the class is already over?"

Scoffing, Sasuke said, "If you didn't talk so much you'd notice a lot more around you."

Naruto didn't retaliate though, he was already headed out the door to their third period class, anatomy.

"Oh no," mumbled Naruto as Sasuke sat down next to him. They were already in their anatomy class and students were still walking in. "Our teacher is Kakashi. Agh, he's going to fail us all."

Sasuke almost laughed, but he didn't get a chance to when Naruto suddenly pushed him out of his seat.

Sasuke regained his balance and angrily turned to Naruto. "What the hell was that for?" he asked.

But Naruto didn't answer him, he was too busy calling for the attention of Sakura who had just walked into the classroom. "Hey, Sakura! You can sit by me."

Sasuke was tempted to just take his seat back, but he stopped himself. Naruto liked Sakura, of course he would want her to sit beside him, plus, if Sasuke took Sakura's seat he would have to face her wrath. So he shrugged nonchalantly and took one of the remaining seats left in the back of the class.

Just as the bell rang, one last student entered the classroom. It was Hinata.

"Miss Hyuga."

Hinata jumped, obviously startled by Kakashi whom had seemingly appeared from nowhere.

"I am surprised that you were almost late. I hope that won't be habit in this class." Kakashi eyed her coolly and Sasuke could visibly see Hinata shrink under the teachers gaze and the curious onlookers of the class.

"N-No," she replied meekly.

"Good." said Kakashi, waving his hand and dismissing her.

Without hesitation to leave the spotlight, Hinata immediately made her way to a seat in the classroom. Actually, she made her way to the only seat available, the one right next to Sasuke. Now Sasuke wished he hadn't given up his seat at all.

"Alright class," said Kakashi. He stood before them, observing them all carefully before continuing his speech. "Now that everyone is here, I'd like you to look at whom you're sitting next to."

Neither Sasuke nor Hinata turned their heads to look. They knew exactly who they were sitting beside.

"Know who's beside you now? Good. From here on out they're going to be your partner in this class."

A chorus of grumbles arose from the students, but Sasuke could not make a sound. He shot a dirty look towards Naruto, who was currently grinning a very goofy smile at Sakura. From the corner of his eye he saw Hinata glance towards him. She looked so pale and frightful and for a moment Sasuke felt guilty. Guilty for hating her and for a moment guilty about the love note. For the first time, he wondered how she felt. Was she still in love with Naruto?

Hinata quickly redirected her attention to the teacher though and Sasuke lost his train of thought. Kakashi was beginning to hand out papers to the entire class.

"Today I'm assigning you a project that you must work on with your new partner. It will be due next week and I expect both partners to put in the same amount of work."

With a defeated sigh, Sasuke accepted the situation. Okay, Hinata was his partner, so what? They didn't actually have to converse, just work together. And to Sasuke's understanding, Hinata was smart, she could hold her own so she wouldn't rely on him too much.

"This project, like many of the ones I am assigning you will require extra work outside of class. So you'll need to work with your partners schedule. You may stay after school to work on your projects or work at your partners house. It's up to you to decide."

Sasuke furrowed his brow in thought. He did not like the sound of that, it meant he would have to spend more time with Hinata than he anticipated.

Once more from the corner of his eye he saw Hinata glance at him meekly. He could feel the question within her gaze. What would they do? Sasuke pretended to not notice her and instead looked at their project and it's requirements. He couldn't look at her or answer the obvious question because he had no idea what to do. They spent the rest of the class in silence. In his thoughts, Sasuke cursed Naruto and the loss of his original seat. How was he suppose to work with the Hyuga? This was going to be impossible.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was grateful for lunch beyond words when it finally came. He had lunch after fifth period which was government, which was also another class we had with Hinata. He hoped it would be the last class he would have with the girl. At least in government he didn't have to sit beside her, or do a project with her. He sighed at that thought. Should they stay after school to work together?<p>

Never mind, that could be decided latter. Sasuke got in line to eat lunch. He could wait until tomorrow to decide what they would do.

When he sat down at the lunch table, mostly everyone was already there. Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, were already talking animatedly amongst themselves, comparing their classes, and who had what together and teachers who had already cruelly passed out homework.

"Yeah," said Naruto. "I have Kakashi and he's already assigned us a project. A project! It's the first day of school, I can't believe he would already give us so much work. But I have Sakura to work with, so I know we'll get a good grade."

"Hey," called Sakura. "Don't you go and leave all the work to me. I'll tell Kakashi and make you fail." Her tone was angry, but the threat was an empty one.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, as Naruto and Sakura continued their banter. He didn't want to be amused by even Naruto's stupidity, he still felt pretty sore about being pushed out of his chair and more over being forced to work with Hinata. Sasuke sighed. Hopefully he wouldn't have another class with her.

* * *

><p>Apparently Sasuke did not have any luck. He thought he did until his very last period, English. Yes, he had that class with Hinata as well. He attempted to sit as far away as possible, but she was only a couple seats away from him. Running his classes through his head, he realized he had three classes with the Hyuga. Had he ever have so many classes with her before? He could not recall.<p>

Their teacher Kurenai called sharply for their attention, Sasuke willingly gave it. She sternly looked to particular students, daring them to act out in class. When her gaze landed on Hinata though, Sasuke was sure he saw Kurenai's eyes soften. He had never witnessed such tenderness from her. Kurenai was known to be merciless, high demanding, and strict in the classroom, not caring.

"Class," called Kurenai sternly, dragging Sasuke's thoughts away from the curious transformation of emotion. She was hard and demanding once more and Sasuke wondered if he had imagined it all.

"I expect a lot from my students. You complete your work on time, do not goof off in class, and you do _not_ leave my class early. Even if the bell rings, you stay seated until my lecture is complete, are we clear?"

There was a mixture of nods and "yes ma'am"s but Sasuke found himself doing neither one. Rather he was staring curiously at Hinata. She must have seen him from the corner of her eye, because she timidly turned around to look at him. Without missing a beat, Sasuke redirected his attention to Kurenai instead.

What was going to become of him?

* * *

><p>The walk home from school was no different compared to last year. Hinata walked 20 feet in front and Sasuke strolled nonchalantly behind. He mulled over all his classes, recalling the four classes he had with Naruto, and regrettably, the three classes he had with Hinata. Kurenai had assigned homework as well that was due tomorrow and Sasuke wasn't looking forward to the homework that was surely going to pile up during the week. And he also had that project he needed to complete with Hinata. What a pain.<p>

Sasuke's thoughts were suddenly turned over though when Hinata arrived at her house. Instead of going inside immediately, she sat down on her porch, quietly. . . waiting.

Oh no. He knew, Sasuke knew without any doubt in that moment that Hinata was waiting for him. It was about their project, he knew. He almost turned around then to take a different route home, but Hinata would have been able to see him walk away. And another point, it would have been cowardly. He wasn't afraid of the girl. She just wanted to talk about the project. The sooner the better, so Sasuke kept on walking.

He didn't change his pace. He wanted to, but he kept his nonchalant walk, resisting the urge to walk faster. What he did do though, was glance at Hinata as he walked by her house.

She was still sitting on the porch, but her eyes were focused on him. Actually, she looked surprised when he met her gaze. She probably suspected that he was going to walk by without looking at her, she wasn't far off.

"Agh, um, S-Sasuke?"

Sasuke stopped walking. Of course he had been right, she had been waiting for him.

"F-For the project, h-how about we complete it h-here?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to be surprised. She wanted to work at her house? He thought for sure that she would prefer the school or even the library. But Sasuke nodded anyways.

Hinata breathed a shuttering sigh. Her shoulders dropping their tense posture. "O-Okay, good. We'll work on it tomorrow, here, after school?"

Sasuke nodded again and Hinata smiled tentatively at him before disappearing into her house. Strange. Tomorrow he would learn what her house looked like. He continued walking, feeling a little relieved. He was kinda glad she waited for him so they could settle the matter about their project. Perhaps working with her wouldn't be so bad.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

School the next day was uneventful for Sasuke. Only the freshmen at school appeared excited. All the other students who were use to school had already calmed down. The excitement was gone now and students now were griping about their classes and teachers.

First and second period were uneventful. And third was entirely boring. Kakashi had them read out of a large textbook all through class. Some students spoke amiably among themselves, but not one word exchanged between Sasuke and Hinata. From where they were sitting Sasuke could hear Naruto and Sakura talking. (Which wasn't hard at all, they were both very loud people.)

For a moment Sasuke glared angrily at his dumb friend and then simply sighed. He guessed he was glad his friend was able to sit next to the girl he liked and Hinata was not annoying. At least she never tried making conversation. Out of curiosity, Sasuke glanced at her to see what page she was on in her physics book.

Sasuke noticed Hinata was inaudibly mouthing the words as she read. He watched her curiously. Hinata abruptly stopped reading, Sasuke could tell because her lips stopped moving. She stared fixedly at the page she was reading and then glanced fleetingly at Sasuke. Then she stared at her page again, her lips tightly pushed together. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk, realizing Hinata must feel embarrassed at being caught mouthing the words. Flustered by such a silly thing.

Without his noticing, Sasuke felt the smirk on his face soften into a smile. _Damn_, the Hyuga's such a meek person.

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><p>"So," began Naruto, leaning over his lunch tray. "What are you and Hinata going to do?"<p>

Sasuke stopped chewing his food, giving Naruto an odd look. "Do . . .?"

"For your project!" declared Naruto. "Are the two of you staying after school or going to each other's house?"

Involuntarily Sasuke cleared his throat, feeling foolish. He thought Naruto had meant something else, though he wasn't exactly sure what or why he thought that. "We're going to her house," he clarified.

"Oh?" asked Sakura, butting into the conversation. "Her house, really?" Sakura looked as surprised as Sasuke had felt yesterday. Sasuke eyed Sakura warily, wondering why it was so strange to her that he was going to Hinata's house.

"Hey Sakura," said Naruto enthusiastically, "why don't we do the project at your house as well?"

"No!" said Sakura, turning her attention to Naruto. Sasuke surveyed her for a moment longer and then shrugged it off.

"Oh come on," whined Naruto. "I'd rather work at your house than stay after school."

"No! Naruto, deal with it. I don't want you coming to my house and making a mess."

Sasuke sighed.

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><p>In Spanish IV, Sasuke listened to Sakura and Naruto continue their argument from lunch. The day was winding down quickly and Sasuke did not want to admit it to himself, but he was anticipating working with Hinata at her house. Whatever that meant. Yesterday he felt surprised by Hinata's invitation because he thought Hinata would prefer working at school. Her home felt too . . . intimate. A place he was sure that she would want to keep free of strangers. Sasuke wasn't a stranger though, was he? Good gosh, they did go on a "double date" together once.<p>

Sasuke thought back to that night so long ago. It had still been summer then.

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><p>During English, the last class of the day, Sasuke did not look towards Hinata. There was no reason for him to look at her. Everyone was quietly focused on their assignment, writing a ten-minute journal on whether they thought everyone deserves to be loved.<p>

Sasuke didn't think so.

"Okay," said Kurenai. "Ten minutes are up, place down your pencils."

A rush of last written words sounded on the papers throughout the class. Students deliberately placed down their pencils and glanced anxiously at each other. Sasuke gazed over his journal. It was short and angry. His response to the question had been much more aggressive than he intended it to be.

Kurenai walked around the classroom collecting the papers. Sasuke handed his over wordlessly.

The rest of the period Kurenai lectured about passive voice and then assigned the class their first paper. It was an opinion paper, she said it could focus on any opinion or issue the students wanted, or at least one she approved. In two days their topics would be due.

One minute before the bell rang to dismiss school Kurenai allowed to students to gather by the door in anticipation. Sasuke hung back, preferring not to cram together with his enthusiastic classmates. Hinata wordlessly stood near him. Sasuke finally turned his head to acknowledge her presence.

To Sasuke's surprise, Hinata smiled at him. It was polite and slightly forced he noticed, but nonetheless she smiled at him. When the bell rang they left side by side, not needing any words to explain or clarify the fact they would be walking home together. Well, walking to Hinata's home precisely.

Another thing that surprised Sasuke was the fact that their walk was not awkward or strained. Or at least Sasuke did not think so, but Hinata appeared a little tense. She walked stiffly, nibbling on her bottom lip, glancing at Sasuke every now and then curiously. Sasuke felt his lip twitch in amusement at the sight of her discomfort. He was content to walk to Hinata's home is silence while she nervously agitated, but Hinata apparently did not share this same thought.

"S-So," she began. "What did you w-write for your journal?"

A scowl crossed Sasuke's face and he shrugged in response to her question. He didn't really want to talk about the dumb journals they wrote for English.

"I wrote that I thought everyone deserves to be loved," said Hinata not deterred by Sasuke's shrug. Sasuke scoffed in response.

"Do you not agree?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "No," he said curtly.

Beside him Hinata's steps faltered and she had to quicken her pace to catch up to Sasuke. "W-Why?" she asked.

Sasuke stopped walking and turned around so Hinata and he were standing face to face. What he was about to say, he did not want the Hyuga to forget it.

"Because there are some terrible people out in the world. They hurt people, people who hate and love them alike. Those worthless scums do not deserve to be loved if they're only going to hurt the people who care about them."

Sasuke turned around and began walking again, not waiting for Hinata to respond or even absorb his words.

This time Hinata had to run to catch up to Sasuke's angry stride.

"B-But what i-if love would ch-change those people?" Hinata's voice was slightly breathless and desperate. "D-Don't they - doesn't everyone - deserve a ch-chance to ch-change?"

Change? Do people seriously change? Sasuke kept the rest of his dark thoughts to himself, not desiring to continue this conversation with Hinata anymore. He set his jaw firmly and kept his quick pace. Hinata did not say anything more. She watched him for a while, expecting him to respond, but when he continued his silence she looked away. The remainder of their walk was tense and uncomfortable.

Sasuke only slowed down when Hinata's house came into view and he knew he would need to drop his anger if they were to get along and work on their project. So he sighed and allowed all the tension in his shoulders to relax. He glanced at Hinata, but she would not meet his eyes. She simply stared at the pavement in front of her, her shoulders slumped forward and her hair obscuring her face from view.

Guilt. That's what Sasuke felt when he looked at Hinata. He opened his mouth to say something. Perhaps even apologize. But he couldn't summon up the words so he closed his mouth.

Arriving in front of Hinata's house, Sasuke stopped, watching the girl beside him. Hinata finally looked up, her pale eyes sad and guarded, adding all the more to Sasuke's guilt. He did not mean to hurt or insult her, he just honestly did not believe everyone deserved love.

They walked up the steps of the front porch and entered the house. Hinata's house was really clean. That was the first thing Sasuke observed when he walked inside. All the walls were a pristine white and the floor carpeted. Sasuke followed Hinata's lead, taking his shoes off at the door. It would seem like a sin to track dirt into such a clean house.

"Would you like something to drink?" asked Hinata politely. Sasuke shock his head.

Hinata looked at him for a moment and then nodded. She guided him through the house wordlessly. Sasuke did not mind the silence; it gave him the opportunity to see Hinata's home. She had a nice home, not large, but certainly roomy. He followed Hinata to the staircase where she began to climb up the steps. Sasuke paused at the first step, looking around the house.

Where were her parents? Her sister? Sasuke gazed around for a moment, taking in the tidy and quiet house. It felt extremely lonely here.

Hinata paused, now near the top of the stairs and looked down at Sasuke. Sasuke followed quickly up the stairs after her, looking around again. Maybe everyone was upstairs, but the silence told him it was only he and Hinata.

That thought made Sasuke suddenly very uncomfortable. He was alone with Hinata. Alone and inside her house and that seemed wrong.

"Where," began Sasuke, his voice a little thick from not talking for a while. He cleared his throat and spoke again. "Where is your family?"

Hinata hummed softly in reply, a thoughtful expression crossing her features. "My father is still at work and Hanabi is at a friends I believe. And Neji is away at college. So it's just us right now."

Sasuke nodded, not feeling very comfortable, but grateful he would not have to deal with Hanabi.

Hinata opened a door, leading Sasuke into what he assumed was her room. He stopped short, standing awkwardly in the doorway; Hinata glanced his way and smiled at him for the second time today. Her smile was shy and a little embarrassed, but it was reassuring and Sasuke knew he had permission to enter her room.

Hinata's room was like the rest of the house. It had white walls and a white carpet and was extremely tidy. To Sasuke's eyes it was rather empty. It had a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a closet, the usual furniture found in any bedroom, but it seemed uninhibited. There were hardly any personal effects in the room, the desk was bare and the dresser only displayed a few meager grooming items like a brush. It looked like a guest room.

Sasuke observed all this while he stood not so awkwardly in the middle of the room. Hinata seemed a little shy having someone in her room, but she mostly ignored Sasuke's presence. She began pulling out items they would need for their project. Scissors, paper, and tape.

The project assigned by Kakashi was to make a paper bridge. They were suppose to create a paper bridge that could uphold the weight of five toy cars and their only resources allowed for the project were scissors, paper, tape, and one popsicle stick.

Once Hinata gathered all the materials they would need she sat down on the floor and spaced out the supplies in front of her. After a moment Sasuke sat down on the floor across from her. The two of them forgot their conversation from earlier completely and focused on the project at hand. Sasuke was grateful about that concerning Hinata. She did not stray away from the task at hand or allow herself to be distracted. Her stutter would arise in her speech occasionally and it was as annoying as hell, but other than that, Hinata was all right as a partner.

Starting the paper bridge was difficult, but once they formed the base, Sasuke's and Hinata's task became much easier. They mostly worked in silence, only talking when they needed to discuss the structure of the bridge. But the arrival of Hanabi broke their quiet and peaceful working atmosphere.

* * *

><p>The sound of the front door slamming shut automatically made Sasuke and Hinata lift their heads and look at each other. Sasuke held his breath. Was it Hinata's father or the dreaded sister that just arrived home? The sound of rushing feet up the stairs answered Sasuke's question. He remembered Mr. Hyuga from the lake. Hiashi Hyuga was undoubtedly too dignified to run up stairs.<p>

"Hey sis," called Hanabi, entering her sister's room without so much as a knock.

Both Sasuke and Hinata stared at Hanabi with wide eyes, as if they had been caught doing something dirty. The shock on Hanabi's face seemed as if she actually had walked in on them doing something terrible.

First Hanabi gaped at Sasuke, then at Hinata, then at their incomplete bridge. No one said anything, no one moved. So Sasuke cleared his throat, wanting to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Hi," he greeted. Hanabi gaped at him like a fish. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Then finally she shook her head and pointed dramatically at Sasuke.

"You jerk!" She glared accusingly at him before running out of the room.

Sasuke huffed. Why did that brat hate him so much? He only said hello, how did that make him a jerk? He knew that wasn't really why she called him a jerk, but why did she always act so hateful?

Hinata's eyes were wide and horrified. She was staring at the door after her sister. Sasuke watched her unmoving expression and felt inside his chest a sudden rumble of laughter. He fought it back for a moment, but Hinata's face was so humorous to him for some reason and he caved in to his laughter.

The look of horror did not leave Hinata's face when she heard Sasuke laughing. Instead she redirected her gaze to him, her eyes growing even wider (if that was possible). Sasuke laughed harder, doubling over and nearly laying down on the floor.

After a moment he quickly tried to compose himself. Hinata seemed frozen, her expression still aghast. Sasuke covered his mouth, muffling the dying laughter and finally hiding the amused smile on his face. He was rather surprised at himself as well. He wasn't sure where that laughter came from, but it had felt good to laugh.

He breathed in deeply, now in full control of himself. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, now embarrassed about his outburst.

When Sasuke met Hinata's eyes, he thought for sure she was going to cry. He opened his mouth to apologize again and clarify that he hadn't meant to laugh at her, but his words cut off by Hinata's gentle laughter.

Sasuke stared at Hinata in bemusement. He realized he had never heard Hinata laugh before and it was a very soft and feminine laugh. It was kind of infectious too, because a moment later he was laughing again as well.

Their laughter ended all too quickly though and the light air that had surrounded the two of them disappeared instantly. Hinata smiled softly at him, her eyes bright and tender, but Sasuke only frowned feeling awkward and wary. He pulled his phone out to check the time and felt surprised to see it was already past six.

"I should go," said Sasuke. Standing up he noticed the smile on Hinata's face immediately faded. She looked disappointed.

"Oh," she said, standing up as well. They both looked down at their incomplete bridge.

"I'll come over tomorrow to help you finish it," assured Sasuke. Hinata nodded slowly in reply.

Seeing no other reason to stand in her room, Sasuke walked toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said, lifting his hand in a curt wave as goodbye.

Downstairs Hanabi was in the kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator. She stopped when she heard Sasuke and glared at him as he made his way for the front door. Sasuke glared back, almost tempted to stick his tongue out at her, as she had once. But he wasn't a child and thus kept his tongue inside his mouth.

Stepping out on to the front porch, Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. Too bad they hadn't finished the bridge today; he would have to come over again tomorrow. As Sasuke walked down the porch steps a car drove into the driveway. Hiashi Hyuga stared at him through the windshield, looking as if he wanted to murder Sasuke. Sasuke stared back, unsure how to react. Should he say something, explain he had come over to work on a project with Hinata? Or perhaps Hiashi already knew. Sasuke didn't know and he didn't want to stay any longer at the Hyuga's than was necessary so he continued walking, avoiding the dangerous glare of the older man.

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><p><strong>AN:** Does long chapter make up for long absence? I think not! One of my longer chapters, 161 words short of 3,000 words. **Urgent! **I need a beta reader! I have looked for one and haven't been able to find someone willing to beta read Sasuke/Hinata. So if any of you are willing to beta read my story or know someone who would, **please** send me a message! I believe I would update chapters much more quickly if I had a beta reader. I know I have already taken too long writing this story and I really want to crack down and finish it.


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